Voting Begins Among Candidates Considered by the Islamic Republic to Succeed Ebrahim Raisi

Voting among candidates considered by the Islamic Republic to succeed Ebrahim Raisi in Iran began on Friday, July 8. Some videos released from several cities in various provinces of Iran on social media indicate that polling stations are quiet. Many political and civil activists have described what the Islamic Republic calls elections as a 'circus' or 'show' and have called for a boycott. The United States has also stated that elections in the style of the Islamic Republic are neither fair nor free. According to news agencies in Iran, with the start of the voting process at the Islamic Republic's embassy in New Zealand, the 'presidential election' officially began. Meanwhile, Mohammad Taghi Shahpour, head of the Islamic Republic's election headquarters, announced that more than 61 million and 450 thousand people are eligible to vote, stating that the elections will last for 10 hours until 6 PM Iranian time. This government official added that 'we will try to announce the election results before noon on Saturday (July 9).' Recently, a large number of political figures and organizations with different political orientations have boycotted the elections. For instance, Shirin Ebadi, head of the Human Rights Defenders Center and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, described participating in the elections as strengthening the regime. She stated: 'If you are dissatisfied with the current situation and want support for the world's terrorists to decrease, you can stay home today. Your staying at home is not against the regime but against 45 years of misery and suffering that has engulfed Iran.' A large number of social media users have also pointed to various human rights violations by the Islamic Republic, including the execution of several detained protesters, stating that 'we will stay home and not vote for bullets.' In this context, Babak Negahdari, head of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, acknowledged on Thursday that the definite participation rate, considering a margin of error of 3 percent, is estimated to be 48.6 percent. According to the public relations of this center, citing an official of the Islamic Republic, 'among those who said they would definitely or probably participate in the elections, 23.9 percent are undecided.' The situation has been such that Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on the morning of Friday, July 8, during voting that 'the durability, strength, dignity, and reputation of the Islamic Republic in the world' depend on 'the presence of the people' in the elections. He also emphasized the necessity of what he called 'the enthusiastic presence of the people' and considered 'increasing the number of voters' as 'a definite need for the Islamic Republic.' Opponents of the Islamic Republic have recently stated that Khamenei needs significant participation in the elections to legitimize the Islamic Republic's system, and for this purpose, he has engineered the elections. Reuters reported on Friday that Iranians will vote for a new president from a controlled group of four candidates loyal to the leader, amid rising public despair. Reuters added that while it seems unlikely that this election will bring about significant changes in the policies of the Islamic Republic, its outcome could affect the succession of Ali Khamenei. The human rights group 'Kurdpa' reported that 'an image of one of the messages from Saqez prison to open vote prisoners shows that if the prisoners do not go to the prison polling station with their families on Friday morning, their absence will be recorded.' Kurdpa noted that this message also mentions 'leave privileges for prisoners' and added that according to Article 547 of the Islamic Penal Code and its note, the penalty for unjustified absence is three to six months in prison or up to 74 lashes. Four individuals were summoned regarding what was termed 'the dissemination of false and fake online polls,' and two individuals were arrested in Ardabil province. Davood Moazami Goudarzi, head of the Greater Tehran Cyber Police, announced on Friday that four individuals had been identified and summoned regarding what he termed 'the dissemination of false and fake online polls.' According to Mehr News Agency, he did not disclose the identities of those summoned, adding: 'These individuals were manipulating the results of polls using the capabilities of virtual robots.' The head of the Greater Tehran Cyber Police added that these polls 'had no specific source or statistical community, and they had altered the votes of candidates in favor of their preferred candidate.' He did not provide further explanation on this matter. On the other hand, according to the government news agency 'IRNA,' the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Ardabil announced on Friday that two individuals, whom he claimed were 'spreading false electoral news' in this province, had been arrested. Jalal Afaqei stated: 'A legal case has been filed for these individuals who were spreading false news in cyberspace with the aim of disturbing public opinion.' This judicial official of the Islamic Republic did not provide an explanation regarding what he termed 'disturbing public opinion.' The National Solidarity Group of Iran: We are ready to hold a protest rally in front of any announced polling place in the Washington D.C. area. The National Solidarity Group of Iran reported based on 'obtained information' that 'the holding of the Islamic Republic's mock elections at one of the predetermined polling places in the Tysons Corner area of Virginia has been canceled.' This group added on its Instagram page: 'The confusion of the Islamic Republic's interests office and the officials organizing the elections in America' is such that just hours before the voting begins in this country, 'the exact address and location of the 28 announced polling places are still unknown.' According to this report, 'in the Washington D.C. area, out of the five announced locations, only one point in Washington D.C. is specified, and three other points are unknown, while one point in Virginia has also been canceled.' The National Solidarity Group of Iran pointed out that in the past 24 hours, 'Iranians in this area have contacted potential hotels for holding the mock elections in the Tysons Corner area and have demanded their cancellation if held.' This anti-Islamic Republic group stated that it is still 'prepared to hold protest rallies in front of any announced point and location in the Washington D.C. area.'