Government Efforts to Draw People to the Polls; Some Users: No News of the 'Election Circus' in Society

As widespread boycotts of the voting process for government candidates to assume the title of 'President' in Iran continue, efforts by government agents from both reformist and conservative fronts to draw people to the polls to select a successor to Raisi persist. Ali Khamenei has emphasized that 'high participation' would lead to the 'glory of the Islamic Republic.' Meanwhile, many have labeled this process a 'circus and show of elections' and have encouraged others not to participate. Khamenei's account on the social media platform X stated: 'The most important effect of high participation in elections is the glory of the Islamic Republic.' Field reports from Iran predict that voter turnout for the election of Raisi's successor will be low. For instance, journalist Sasan Aghaei noted on X: 'Based on my observations in several cities, the scene is no different from 1400 and 1402, and participation will remain at around 25 percent with slight fluctuations.' He pointed out that the 'hype in cyberspace' and 'bulk liking and artificial disputes' by government affiliates are designed so that 'when participation is announced to be between 55 to 60 percent, you will believe it is close to the real figure.' Aghaei stated, 'We are in the middle of a show with all its details, the platform for which is the internet and cyberspace, but on the ground, there is no news.' Journalist Mohammad Baqerzadeh also mentioned, 'Honestly, around me (except for the children and reformist journalists who have direct financial interests), I have not seen anyone who wants to vote.' Meanwhile, opposition to the 'circus and show of elections' continues. Gohr-e Eshghi, the mother of the justice-seeking worker Sattar Beheshti, who was killed years ago while in custody, urged people not to participate in the 'show elections.' Goljehan Ashrafpour, the mother of justice-seeker Akbar Mohammadi, who died in prison during the 1999 student protests, called on people to stay home all day on voting day and not to participate in Khamenei's 'election magic show.' Behzad Hamayee, a protester who lost an eye due to gunfire from government forces during the nationwide protests, emphasized the 'boycott of the election circus' and urged people not to participate, stating, 'In a country that is not democratic, elections are a census of fools.' Former political prisoner Barzan Mohammadi also announced in a video message that he would not participate in the government elections for Raisi's successor and would boycott these 'show appointments.' Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, currently imprisoned in Evin, also stated that she would not participate in the 'illegal elections of the oppressive and illegitimate government.' In a message from prison to government officials, she emphasized that 'such elections will not bring legitimacy to the Islamic Republic,' questioning, 'How can you, while holding a sword and gallows and weapons and prison against the people with one hand, put a ballot box in front of the same people with the other hand and deceitfully call them to the polls?' The ethical issue of voting for government candidates for the title of 'presidency' is also a topic of discussion on social media. Some users consider participating in the 'election circus' a 'betrayal' to Iran and the protesters killed by government agents, while government forces claim it makes no difference who succeeds Raisi. Ali Karimi, a prominent Iranian football figure and opponent of the Islamic Republic, emphasized that 'every vote is a betrayal of Iran' and that 'aware and patriotic people do not vote' while 'traitors to the Islamic Republic vote.' The account 'Historical Memory' on X discusses previous statements by Islamic Republic officials. 'Historical Memory' shared a video of Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards, stating on March 2, 2023, that 'people's presence in elections fills the magazines of the armed forces.' Meanwhile, some users, including Payman Aref, despite claiming to oppose the Islamic Republic, support reformist candidates among government candidates, believing that 'the only way to reform' is through 'calm and gradual changes' and presenting overthrow as too risky. Journalist Najmeh Jamshidi is another such individual who is 'extremely dissatisfied with the current situation' but does not want to emigrate. She stated, 'Honestly, I do not even have the courage to go to the streets and protest in the current conditions. I am tired of just watching. I believe the only option I have is to vote for Pezeshkian.' However, some users have pointed out the behavioral contradictions of individuals like Mohammad Khatami, the former president of the Islamic Republic, who previously stated he would join the election boycott but is now supporting one of the government candidates. For instance, Abolfazl Najafi Tehrani, an active user on X, wrote: 'Khatami and the reformists did not stay with the majority of the people and, by taking the least possible advantage, quickly and hastily broke the election boycott.' Arash Nikkhou, an environmental activist, also noted Khatami's support for Pezeshkian, emphasizing, 'The fact that Khatami called for an election boycott a month before the elections but is now firmly behind Pezeshkian is because both strongly believe in ethnic federalism and governance in the method of Velayati Malik Ashtar.' Some users have also pointed out the government’s dichotomies to draw people to the polls, stating that the dichotomies of 'Khatami - Nategh Nouri, Mousavi - Ahmadinejad, Rouhani - Raisi, and Pezeshkian - Jalili' are designed so that citizens 'flee to one thing out of fear of one thing.' Meanwhile, Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan newspaper, has called on conservative candidates for Raisi's successor to retract their statements and withdraw in favor of one candidate contrary to their statements in debates. Shariatmadari stated that 'Khomeini also retracted his words,' adding that 'the coalition of candidates of the revolutionary front is an Islamic and revolutionary necessity,' and withdrawing in favor of one of them is 'a God-pleasing and necessary action.' On the other hand, Mansour Haqiqatpour, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and advisor to Ali Larijani, claimed that 'serious movements are observed that indicate the presence of elements of the Hojjatiyeh Society and Tudeh in the electoral headquarters of one of the candidates.' Haqiqatpour told the Rouydad 24 website: 'These individuals, with shared topics such as aversion to the West and Eastern orientation, and of course shared issues in domestic matters, are producing intellectual fodder that appears revolutionary but is inconsistent with the content of the Islamic Revolution.' Simultaneously, the Associated Press reported from Tehran that as the 'elections' for the presidency approach, tensions over the suppression of women under the guise of mandatory hijab are rising. According to the report, apparently, every afternoon in the capital of Iran, police vans go to the main squares and intersections to look for women with loose headscarves and those who dare to uncover their heads.