Statement from Dozens of Activists Inside and Outside Iran Regarding Election Boycott: We Will Not Submit to This 'Staging'

More than 275 activists inside and outside Iran announced in a statement on Sunday, March 6, that they will not participate in the upcoming election 'staging.' The signatories pointed out the 'deadlock of reforms and the complete elimination of critics, especially since the 2021 election, and the policy of unification and even the widespread disqualification of candidates who are not sufficiently loyal.' They stated that public motivation to participate in this election has significantly decreased. According to these activists, in the absence of diverse tendencies and 'rooted parties and movements,' elections in Iran have lost their meaning and relevance. They reminded that the policy of 'pragmatism' has not only failed to yield fruitful results but has also effectively led to the continuation of despotism and blockage. Political, social, and cultural activists, referring to the dissolution of elections in Iran under the Islamic Republic's rule and the environmental, economic, political, social, and cultural crises plaguing the country, emphasized: 'We consider it our duty not to participate in the upcoming election, which is explicitly engineered against the public's sovereignty, and we will not submit to this staging.' They stated, 'Without the genuine revival of the electoral institution, real participation will not occur, and the official political arena will not have a fate better than the dried-up Urmia Lake.' Among the signatories are Abolfazl Ghadiani, Abdolali Bazargan, Morteza Alviri, Alireza Rajaei, Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Parvaneh Salahshouri, and Ali Mazrouei. Continuing the election boycott campaign in Iran, Yashar Tabrizi, from Evin Prison, called on the people to stay home on the day of the upcoming Islamic Republic elections to 'stamp the government record with a mark of cancellation' that, according to him, was not their choice. The polling institute Goman has predicted that 77% of Iranian citizens will not participate in the upcoming elections. Ammar Maleki, the director of this institute, told VOA that the reformist or principlist tendencies have not gained more favor with the government, and compared to the previous poll, eight percent more have stated they will not participate in this election. Narges Mohammadi joined the election boycott campaign: The Islamic Republic deserves national boycott and global humiliation. Calls for boycotting the elections on March 11 in Iran continue. Verification; the claim by Ali Khamenei about 'the U.S. President's invitation to boycott elections in Iran' is false. Reactions to the qualification of Iraj Maleki; from 'how did they not catch you' to comparisons with Khamenei's 'recitations.' Etemad Online: Low public participation in elections; a political activist: People do not participate in the puppet show. Abolfazl Ghadiani: Participation in elections is a factor in strengthening the shaky foundations of Ali Khamenei's evil power.