2024-03-02T13:38:49+00:00
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/ Unofficial experiences mentioned on Saturday that the turnout in Iran’s parliamentary elections, that are seen as a take a look at of the legitimacy of the non secular institution, apparently recorded a historic low of about 40 p.c.
Based on Reuters, neither moderates nor heavyweight conservatives took half in Friday’s election, which reformists described as neither free nor truthful, leaving the competition basically between hardliners and low-profile conservatives who’ve pledged allegiance to the beliefs of the Islamic Revolution.
Mohammad Khatami, Iran’s first reformist president, was among the many critics who didn’t vote on Friday.
Iran’s Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei has accused Iran’s “enemies,” a time period he normally makes use of to confer with america and Israel, of attempting to sow despair amongst Iranian voters.
“Silent majority” was the headline on the entrance web page of the pro-reformist Ham Mihan newspaper, which additionally estimated turnout at round 40 p.c.
The Inside Ministry is more likely to announce the official turnout in a while Saturday. If confirmed, it will be the bottom since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The turnout within the 2020 parliamentary elections fell to 42.5 p.c, in comparison with 62 p.c of voters in 2016.
The elections got here after anti-government protests in 2022 and 2023 that become the worst political unrest for the reason that Islamic Revolution, and coincided with rising disillusionment over the nation’s financial woes.
Greater than 15,000 candidates competed for the 290 seats in parliament on Friday.
The election additionally got here alongside a vote for the 88-seat Meeting of Specialists, an influential physique tasked with selecting a successor to the 84-year-old Khamenei.
The Inside Ministry introduced on Saturday that hardline President Ebrahim Raisi had been re-elected to the Meeting of Specialists with 82.5 p.c of the vote.
Hassan Rouhani, who was elected president of Iran in landslide victories in 2013 and 2017 and promised to cut back the nation’s diplomatic isolation, was barred from operating, drawing criticism from moderates.