Tajzadeh: We Cannot Consider Medicalian's 17 Million Votes a Victory for the Nation

Mostafa Tajzadeh, a political prisoner, has explained his reasons for not participating in this year's presidential election, stating that if the policies of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic do not change, Masoud Medicalian's government will face a fate similar to that of Hassan Rouhani's second administration. In a letter published on Wednesday, July 18, he cited the prevention of advancing Medicalian's electoral project and his supporters, especially Mohammad Khatami, as the reason for his silence and lack of position on the election boycott. Tajzadeh referred to the supporters of the Supreme Leader as 'Council of Guardians' and claimed they would use all their resources against the fourteenth government. He stated, 'Khamenei does not hear the protests of millions, and most people will not vote.' This reformist political activist pointed to the possibility of Donald Trump returning to power in the U.S. and noted that opponents of Medicalian's government are trying to ensure that his administration, like Rouhani's second term, becomes 'stuck and fails.' He further commented on Saeed Jalili, Medicalian's rival in the second round of elections, and his views on internet filtering, morality police, and supervisory oversight, questioning whether Khamenei's perspective on these issues differs fundamentally from Jalili's. Tajzadeh emphasized that the 'main problem' is not Jalili but rather his 'godfather,' referring to Ali Khamenei, predicting that Khamenei will soon 'come after Medicalian and his government.' He recalled the 18 million votes for Ebrahim Raisi in the 2021 elections, which he termed 'minority elections,' adding, 'Now we cannot consider the 49% participation and 17 million votes for Medicalian a victory for the nation, especially since the vote difference is about three million and Jalili was first in half of the provinces.' In the first round of this year's elections, less than 40% of eligible voters participated, marking the lowest turnout in the history of presidential elections in the Islamic Republic. In the second round, the participation rate was reported by the Ministry of Interior to be 49%. Tajzadeh stated that he does not consider introducing a candidate in the absence of the majority of citizens 'ethical.' He wrote, 'If the election is competitive, I will remain silent and not vote along with the majority, but I see minority and non-competitive elections as a form of political gluttony and will boycott them.' This former Interior Ministry official under Mohammad Khatami also mentioned that the Islamic Republic cannot withstand a decline in participation 'beyond a certain limit,' noting that Medicalian's candidacy faced 'no serious objections from any power structure.' He emphasized that the majority's refusal to vote in several elections before 1403 was impactful and predicted that Khamenei cannot simultaneously fight against the U.S. and the majority of the Iranian people and 'will certainly falter and be forced to reconsider.' Last year, on the eve of the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, Tajzadeh emphasized that he would not vote and held Khamenei responsible for the 'defective structure of the political system' in Iran. He accused the Supreme Leader of 'rendering elections meaningless and making electoral institutions, especially the parliament, ineffective and impotent,' reiterating this point in his Wednesday note, stating that Khamenei has disrupted the 'function of electoral institutions' by using appointed bodies. After these two elections in Esfand 1402, he referred to the low public participation and 'the small percentage of votes for elected officials' as a 'historical defeat' for the country's governance system, attributing responsibility for it to Khamenei. Mostafa Tajzadeh, who has openly criticized the Supreme Leader's policies in recent years, has been arrested multiple times since 2009 and sentenced to heavy penalties. He was last sentenced to five years in prison in October 2022 for charges of 'collusion against national security,' 'spreading falsehoods,' and 'propaganda against the regime,' and is currently in prison. In May of this year, his lawyer announced the formation of a new case against him.