Hassan Rouhani: Four Million Votes Were Not Cast in the Election

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, reiterated on Wednesday, May 24, that "four million votes were not cast" and implicitly accused the Guardian Council of preventing his votes from reaching 28 million. This is the second time in a week that Rouhani has mentioned the four million votes not being cast during the presidential election. Speaking at a ceremony honoring his campaign activists held at the Ministry of Interior in Tehran, he criticized the voting process on election day, May 29, stating, "Someone texted me saying they waited in line for five and a half hours." He expressed regret that "those four million votes were not cast" and sarcastically remarked, "High votes are not a concern." Rouhani noted that the Guardian Council accepted 12 hours after the proposal from the election executive committee that only the national ID numbers of voters should be registered to expedite the voting process. Reports from Iranian media and social networks indicate that due to the "widespread turnout" for the presidential election on May 29, many voters waited for hours in line, and some were unable to cast their votes late at night due to time constraints. While Rouhani has repeatedly stated that four million people could not vote, the Minister of Interior from his government said on Tuesday that this figure is merely an estimate and the accurate number is one million. The slow voting process, especially the verification of voter information, caused significant dissatisfaction among voters. In his remarks on Wednesday, Rouhani said, "I wish this esteemed Guardian Council had accepted sooner that checking the national ID number suffices; perhaps they were being careful in their decision-making!" He emphasized, "I wish they had accepted sooner the proposal from the executive committees to send mobile ballot boxes to crowded areas." Referring to the Guardian Council, he added, "24 million votes, 26 million votes, 28 million votes, high votes are not a concern. As long as Rouhani is here, he will protect these votes." During Rouhani's speech, which was broadcast live on the Iranian presidential website, his campaign activists chanted, "Our message is clear, the house arrest must be broken." They referred to the seven-year house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, whose release was one of Rouhani's campaign slogans in 2013 but has yet to be realized. In another part of his speech, Rouhani mentioned that he faced "insults" during his election campaign but stated he would forgive all insults directed at him, except for the "conspiracy of the 2030 document." He remarked, "How much propaganda was spread in villages, claiming Islam was lost. I said, and I will say again, I have forgiven all those who accused me. But I will not forgive the 2030 conspiracy (attacks on the UNESCO 2030 document)." Rouhani added, "At one time, you want to use Imam Mahdi and Imam Reza as political tools, and the people answered you. Why do you use ethics as a tool? Why did you insult teachers and students? I will not forgive the 2030 issue until the end of my second term." The UNESCO educational document for 2030 emphasizes issues such as environmental education, gender equality, equal social opportunities for women and men, human rights, eliminating discrimination against minorities, and a culture of peace and non-violence. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, deemed the implementation of this document "unauthorized" on May 6 and announced that the Islamic Republic would not submit to documents like the UNESCO 2030 document. During his election campaign, Rouhani accused his conservative opponents of sending "false reports" about this document to the Supreme Leader and claimed that they spread leaflets in villages discussing sexual topics that are not included in the document. Nevertheless, his government spokesperson stated that the implementation of this document has been postponed until further notice. Before the Iranian president's speech, Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni leader in Sistan and Baluchestan province, stated that "we have demonstrated our loyalty to Iran in the elections." He called for the "employment of qualified Sunnis" in the second administration and said, "Sunnis are ready to serve wherever your government deems appropriate and demand fundamental changes regarding the Sunni community and ethnicities and religions." Molavi Abdulhamid also requested that in the second administration, "Iran should be prioritized, and the nation should be the focus, not ethnicity and religion. Religion is between us and God and is a personal matter. Employing qualified Sunnis who think of Iran will elevate Iran in international equations and enhance its dignity."