Survey Results: 75% of Tehran’s Population Will Not Participate in Parliamentary Elections
The head of the Institute for Social Studies at the University of Tehran announced that based on survey results, 24% of Tehran’s population will participate in the elections.
Ahmad Naderi said on Saturday, February 15, that based on the results of a survey conducted in the first half of Esfand (February), 24.2% of Tehran’s population will participate in the elections.
According to Fars News Agency, he added that 93% of those who participated in the survey stated that they are dissatisfied with the country’s management conditions and situation.
According to Iran’s Interior Ministry, 57 million, 918 thousand, and 159 people are eligible to vote in the eleventh parliamentary elections, of which 2 million and 931 thousand people will be able to vote for the first time.
Following the November protests, a large group of protesters announced that they will boycott the parliamentary elections. Many political groups outside the country have also boycotted the elections.
Meanwhile, 164 political and civil activists, by publishing a statement titled “Esfand Without a Vote,” asked Iranian citizens to defend their “citizenship rights” through “civil disobedience” and non-participation in Esfand elections.
MohammadReza Bahonar, a prominent conservative figure, said that in the upcoming parliamentary elections, conservatives have “no serious competitors” and “if we don’t lose to our weaknesses,” this election “is a playing field for conservatives.”
The Supreme Policy Council of Reformists had previously reported that 90% of their candidates were disqualified in the parliamentary elections and announced that conservatives now hold 240 seats in the next parliament.
Nevertheless, Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, said on Sunday at his press conference that according to the Interior Ministry’s report, only 44 electoral districts are uncontested.
Meanwhile, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Interior Minister, said that all factions have submitted their electoral lists.
Conservatives have so far submitted 9 lists for the elections. The Islamic Revolution Stability Front, the Coalition Council of Revolutionary Forces, the Jihadi Front of Islamic Iran, the People’s Coalition List of Praise-singers (Mansour Arzi, the Coalition to End the Matter, the Specialists List of the Iran House, and the Justice-Seeking Parliament Movement have submitted lists, some of whose members are shared.
Some conservative groups have mentioned Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as a possible speaker of the next parliament.
However, in some conservative groups, including the Stability Front and the Praise-singers List, the name of Qalibaf is not present.
Campaigning for the eleventh parliamentary elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly began on the morning of Thursday, February 13. These elections will be held on the second day of Esfand.
Source: Radio Farda
