Iranians are heading to the polls today to vote for members of Parliament and the Assembly of Experts.
Voters will select members for the 290-seat legislature and the Assembly of Experts, which is responsible for selecting and overseeing the country’s Supreme Leader.
There are 144 candidates approved to run for this assembly and 88 members, all of whom are Islamic scholars, will be selected.
The country’s last elections in 2020 saw only 43% of eligible voters turn up to make their mark, but this was during the Covid-19 pandemic and is likely one of the main reasons for the poor attendance.
It marked the lowest voter turnout since Iran’s shift to an Islamic republic following the country’s referendum.
However, the following year, voter participation in the 2021 Presidential Elections also failed to draw the same kind of numbers recorded in the last forty years.
Iranian leaders are calling on the electorate to go to the polls in their numbers, to have their say on the future of the country.
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The protests of 2022, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini whilst in custody after being detained for wearing an “improper hijab”, have left many Iranians disillusioned about the social and political landscape in the country.
The country’s economy is also cause for concern for many Iranians.
The inflation rate was recorded at just under 45% in November 2023 signalling widespread hardship for the people of Iran.
Previous low election participation points to increasing voter apathy and the turnout in today’s elections will reveal what the people think of the establishment.
Former defence minister and current defence adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Hossein Dehgan has encouraged voters to go to the polls.
Speaking at a voting station, Dehgan told Al Jazeera “From the first day of its independence, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always put the people’s vote as the basis of its work, and parliamentary elections are one of the highest displays of democracy because people are showing their will to change and improve things”.
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