Election Hours Extended from 7am to 2am

Following President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement on Saturday that Election Day voting hours would be extended to cater for covid restrictions, today the National Corona Headquarters announced that polls will open at 7am on June 18 and close at 2am the following morning. The changes in hours are designed to prevent large crowds from queueing at polling stations as well as increasing the election turnout. 

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Iranians to Get Free Internet for Election Campaign

Minister for Communication, Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, announced that all Iranians would be provided with free internet for the month leading up to election day. Azari Jahromi said this was meant to heighten interest in the election and increase voter turnout. Previously, Azari Jahromi had announced the government would give free internet to all approved candidates to equalise their online presence, regardless of financial resources.

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Friday Prayer Leader, Mashhad: Those Who Call for Election Boycott are Infidels

The Friday Imam of Mashhad, Ahmad Alam-ol-Hoda, said in his weekly sermon that those who encourage people to not participate in the elections are infidels. Citing the upcoming anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr by Iranian forces during the Iran-Iraq War, the senior cleric added that “for 42 years, our people have stood by the Revolution, and this earned them dignity in the world, which our enemies seek to take from us”. 

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Guardian Council: Low Participation does not Delegitimise Election

Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council, said that if there is a low turnout for this election, this will not effect the legitimacy of the result, saying that while many hoped for a high turnout “from a legal point of view, a low turnout does not pose any legal problem for the validity and legitimacy of the election”. Kadkhodaei was only speaking of the legal consequences of a low turnout, not the political ramifications. In other news, the Guardian Council has asked for more time to review the qualifications of candidates, meaning that the announcement of candidates should take place no earlier than May 27.

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Women Do Not Need Husbands’ Permission to Vote

The Office of the Supreme Leader has issued a number of religious opinions relating to the election in response to questions from the public. Among the rulings are that voting is religiously obligatory and submitting a blank vote is haram. One question asked if women required permission from their husbands to leave the house to vote, the answer of which is no, they do not require permission. 

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Approved Candidates Announced on May 27

Jamal Araf, the head of the Electoral Board at the Ministry of Interior, told the media that the registered candidates have been sent to the Guardian Council for approval, and the expected result of their vetting is on the sixth of the Persian month of Khordad (May 27). However Araf added that the Guardian Council may make an announcement earlier if it takes less time. Only 592 people nominated for this election, down from 1,636 in the last election four years ago. This drop in numbers reflects the effect of COVID on the country, but also may reflect the general disillusionment in Iranian society regarding the political process.

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Female Candidates were 7% of Total

Seven percent of the 592 candidates who registered were women. This is consistent with the numbers from the last election where 8% were women, despite a two-third drop in the number of nominations. Eighty percent of candidates were under 40, which indicates that one in five candidates nominated despite the Guardian Council’s recent exclusion of candidates under 40 or over 75.

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Akhundi: Election Atmosphere is Cold

Reformist candidate Abbas Akhundi stated in an opinion piece that the atmosphere surrounding this election is cold, and the government needs to shift its approach if it wants to attract the “silent majority”. Akhundi associated the limited number and general homogeneity of vetted candidates with public apathy to the election, arguing that “only through transformational discourse, by understanding the issues of Iran and empathising with the nation, will we find a way to break this freeze and create hope”. Akhundi was nominated as a candidate for the Reformist Front on Sunday, and named on a corruption indictment on the same day. 

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IRIB Poll: Only 50% Turnout

A survey carried out by the national broadcaster found that on 51% of Iranians intended to vote in this election, with roughly 70% expressing concern that family members will contract COVID due to the election. The participation rate is 20% lower than in similar polls four years ago.


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