Polls have closed in Iran in an election that opponents of the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described as “sham” and that voting in it was “meaningless.”
The parliamentary elections are the first major test of the government's standing with its citizens since widespread protests over the death of a prisoner Mahsa Amini In 2022, and the violent crackdown that followed, which saw mass arrests and even executions.
High demand will restore reputation Iran Religious rulers, who were severely affected by the unrest – some
The worst political unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Voters fill out their ballot papers at a polling station in Tehran. Photo: AP
But they may be disappointed, with only about 41% of those eligible set to take part, according to official figures, a drop even from the record low of 42.5% in the 2020 competition.
Reda, a 35-year-old teacher in the northern city of Surrey, insisted there was no point in casting his vote, saying: “I am not voting for a regime that restricts my social freedoms. Voting is meaningless.”
Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women's rights advocate, described the elections as “sham.”
On Iranian state television, the mood was upbeat, and included live coverage from across Iran, patriotic songs, and footage of people braving the snow to vote in some towns and villages. Several people told state television they were voting “to please the Supreme Leader.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that voting was a religious duty for Iranians and he was among the first to do so.
He warned on state television that “the eyes of Iran's friends and those who wish it ill are focused on the results.”
Voting was extended three times to allow latecomers to cast their votes, with voting for the 290-seat parliament eventually closing at 2030 GMT.
The 88-seat Assembly of Experts, which will choose the 84-year-old leader's successor, is also being selected.
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More than 15,000 candidates are competing, most of them extremists and conservatives, and the first results may appear on Saturday.
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Officials said turnout was “good,” according to state media, but witnesses said most polling stations in Tehran and several other cities were far from full.
Moderates, conservatives, and reformist heavyweights have largely remained outside of so-called “unfree” and “unfair” competition.
Experts said that large numbers of Iranians no longer believe that the ruling clerics are capable of resolving the economic crisis caused by a combination of mismanagement, corruption and US sanctions.
It comes at a time Great tension In the Middle East, while Israel fights the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamist group agitation in GazaOther groups supported by Tehran attack ships in the Red Sea and Israeli And American goals in the region.
