Response of Some Haft Tappeh Workers to the Elections on March 2: We Will Not Participate in This Bloodbath and Criminal Game

A number of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers issued a statement calling the elections on Friday, March 2, a 'game in favor of crime and blood,' stating, 'We will not participate in this bloodbath and criminal game.' According to the independent Haft Tappeh channel, they wrote: 'Not only do we boycott the elections and will not vote, but we also actively call on everyone to unite against this criminal government game called elections and to oppose it.' The authors of the statement added: 'We previously said we would not participate in the farce of elections, but now, while we say we will not participate in the elections, we say this is no longer even a farce but rather a manipulation in a pool of blood.' These workers continued: 'Anyone who colors their finger to vote is as if they are touching the blood of our loved ones, and anyone who votes is as if they are participating in the execution of our loved ones and pulling the rug from under the feet of the executed.' They announced that 'poverty, misery, killings, repression, and crime have become the normal and daily actions of the government,' adding: 'The government rightly says that anyone who does not vote is opposed to the regime.' The signers of the statement wrote: 'The entirety of this regime, from top to bottom, has blood on its hands from our youth and loved ones, and all of this plays a role in the poverty that exists in society.' The statement continued: 'Workers have no benefit in the continuation and survival of this system of exploitation, repression, and crime, and for this reason, they are unitedly campaigning against the elections.' Maziar Seyednejad, a labor activist imprisoned in Evin prison, also referred to a statement by some reformists to participate in the elections, writing: 'We have shouted once and for all: reformist, principlist, the story is over. We do not want you and we will no longer be fooled by your games.' He pointed out that 'the regime is facing an unprecedented legitimacy crisis, and at the same time, its authoritative face has been severely tarnished,' adding: 'People no longer recognize legitimacy for this regime, which is solely based on repression. Our future is achieved in the streets through continuous struggle for change, not from the ballot boxes of the regime and choosing between the lesser of two evils.' Previously, many political and civil figures, as well as organizations and political parties inside and outside Iran, have called for a boycott of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts elections on March 2. Additionally, CNN reported that despite requests from Islamic Republic officials for people to participate in the elections, voter turnout seems likely to be very low. According to CNN, 'the ailing economy, political distrust, and the recently suppressed protest movement in Iran' have led many voters to be unwilling to participate in the elections.