Tehran, Iran——

Iran’s conservatives secured a majority of seats in elections for a key religious institution and national legislative body, local media reported on Sunday, with an estimated record low turnout.

Authorities were still counting votes, two days after Friday’s vote to elect members of parliament and a conference of experts to elect the Islamic Republic’s top leader.

The vote was the first since protests sparked by the death in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating strict dress codes for women.

The election’s vetting process, which has prevented many hopefuls from running, comes as Iran suffers a severe economic crisis exacerbated by international sanctions.

The official IRNA news agency said turnout among 61 million eligible voters was about “41 percent.” No official data has been released yet.

reformist daily Sharg The next parliament is predicted to be “in the hands of radical conservatives” who “exploit the opportunities created by low participation”.

prospectAnother reformist newspaper reported that turnout in Iran’s big cities was lower than in smaller cities and that there were a large number of “blank votes.”

Concerns about low turnout are beginning to spread ahead of the election after a state television poll found more than half of respondents were indifferent to the election.

morning Call

According to Iranian media reports, turnout in the capital Tehran was about 25%, with ultra-conservative candidates winning 12 of the 30 parliamentary seats allocated to the capital.

Some seats have entered the second round of voting, which will be held in April or May, Iran’s Islamic News Agency reported.

The pro-government Iran Daily said authorities should regard the low turnout as a “wake-up call and redouble efforts to consolidate their support base”.

reformist daily Ham Meehan It said “the soul of the election has been lost” and turnout was “far from victory” which could have “political consequences” for Iran’s system.

Political analyst Mohamed Mohajri said conservatives and ultra-conservatives would be the main winners in the election due to “a sharp drop in participation rates”.

A record 15,200 candidates are vying for seats in the 290-member parliament.

Another 144 candidates sought a seat on the 88-member Assembly of Experts, which is composed entirely of male Islamic scholars.

Journalist Maziar Khosravi earlier told AFP that by allowing a large number of candidates, the government hopes to “create local competition and increase participation” to help attract voters.

Iran’s 2020 parliament was elected during the COVID-19 epidemic, with a turnout of 42.57%, the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Former moderate President Hassan Rouhani voted on Friday despite being disqualified from running for the Assembly of Experts after 24 years in office.

Another former president, reformist Mohammad Khatami, also did not vote, according to the Reform Front party alliance.

In February, Khatami said on his official website that Iran was “still far from free and competitive elections.”