Iran has recorded the lowest electoral turnout since the Islamic Republic’s founding in 1979, with officials portraying the participation of those who did vote as a victory against the country’s “obstinate opponents.” Out of Iran’s 61 million eligible voters, some 25 million cast their ballots in parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections that took place on March 1, Iran’s state news outlet IRNA said. This was despite Iran extending the voting time three times, and weeks-long efforts by officials to boost participation levels ahead of the polling date. Iranian officials and state media however hailed the turnout as a triumph. “The figure is a win against “the biggest election boycott campaign in the last 45 years,” said Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency on X, adding that the boycott was orchestrated by “foreign enemies.”
The turnout also comes as Iranians grapple with a tumbling local currency, a crippled economy and widened crackdown on dissent, which rights groups say only intensified after the 2022 protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Overall, this election showed a big lack of trust, and also a crackdown from the government, not exactly known for holding free and fair elections, on any moderates, or even simply pragmatic conservatives. Several politicians did not vote out of protest, and there were multiple who before were allowed to run, now barred, deemed not conservative enough. “Few reformists chose to or were able to run in these elections and those that did fared badly, marking the loss of the public’s faith in the ability of gradual reform in the Islamic Republic,” analyst Vakit stated. Another sign of the voter discontent was the high number of spoiled ballots, showing that there were protesters even among those who voted. “This election “tells us where the system is,” Vakil continued, adding that in an attempt to maintain cohesion for succession and the existing composition of the Islamic Republic’s institutions, the system has been “purged” of elites who may have become more pragmatic or moderate over time.” The results of the elections show both a massive lack of government trust, and a lack of belief it will change, dangerous signs and beliefs in a country where such change may not come easily, or without blood.
I can connect this to class in our discussions of authoritarian systems, and governments are still a contract between it and its people. If that contract is broken, that government will cease to exist, whether through voting, or revolution. This can also be connected to class discussion on how a state’s situation, both in security and overall well-being, hugely dictates its actions. If a state feels threatened, it will lash out in turn, and if it’s doing poorly, and/or the region is, it becomes a lot harder to unite. It’s a lot easier to have unity, internally and externally, when you have money and food on the table.