As the 13th presidential election takes place in three days, on June 18, the propaganda in the Islamic Republic is trying to show that Iranians will go to the polls to determine the fate of their country. But what is happening in families and on the streets is in stark contrast to the state media. Millions of people have decided to join the No-Vote campaign and show their opposition by not participating in the election.
A few months ago, campaigns were launched inside Iran to oppose the Islamic Republic and its repressive policies. Campaigns such as “No to the Islamic Republic”, “I will not vote”, and “No Vote” were formed in this direction and millions of people have joined these campaigns so far.
After the overthrow of the imperial government in 1979 and the departure of the Pahlavi dynasty from Iran, the Islamic Republic came to power and new conditions prevailed in the country that had never been seen before. From the very first days, the new government based its power on the unprecedented suppression, imprisonment and killing of dissidents. As a result, after a while, millions of people had no choice but to remain silent or decide to emigrate from their homeland.
Although during the Pahlavi dynasty the opposition, mainly religious extremists and communists, was repressed, imprisoned or exiled, after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, people compared the economic and social conditions of the two eras, before and after the revolution, recalling the Pahlavis as preferable.
People’s dissatisfaction has become more apparent, especially in the last three or four years. As inflation has multiplied and costs have increased, the class gap has widened and poverty has spread. In November 2019, as fuel prices rose, hundreds of protesters were killed or imprisoned in various cities and later executed. Navid Afkari, an Iranian wrestler, was among the street protesters who officials arrested and sentenced to death. His brothers have been in prison since then.
On January 8, 2020, a Ukrainian plane was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and exploded. 176 people died. To date, the details of the incident have not been revealed and the families of the victims are still seeking the perpetrators of this crime, who never went to court. The government tried to draw it to a conclusion by paying compensation and threatened families inside Iran, and even abroad, to stop pursuing it.
In the 1980s, thousands of political activists, university students and protesters were executed and buried en masse in Khavaran Cemetery. The perpetrators of this and other crimes have never been arrested and are still in power.
Ebrahim Raisi is the current Chief Justice of Iran, and one of the presidential candidates, and many believe he has a better chance of defeating his rivals. He could have brought the perpetrators to justice in recent years, but he did nothing. This was ridiculed by thousands of Twitter users, who believe that he and other candidates, all of whom hold important positions in the government, have been nominated under the slogan of improving conditions and reforming the structure.
If they wanted to make a difference in the country, they could already have done this.
In Iran, there have always been protesters opposed to the Islamic Republic, but there has never been an alliance between them. For this reason, after a relatively short time, the opposition was defeated. For example, those who supported the republic opposed the monarchists. Or those who supported religious minorities ignored LGBTQ campaigners. There seems to have been more unity among the opposition in recent years, both inside and outside Iran.
In previous years, people went to the polls because they believed that change and reform took time and that they had to choose between bad and worse candidates. Such a belief no longer exists among the majority of Iranians
Recently, Reza Pahlavi, the Shah’s son, who was about 18 years old when he left Iran, stated in several interviews that his efforts and those of all Iranians should be to overthrow the Islamic Republic and achieve democracy. He does not consider the form of government important and believes that the republic or monarchy will depend on the will of the people after the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
Reza Pahlavi has had a strong presence on social media over the past decade, and in addition, he has always reacted to issues inside Iran and criticized the performance of the Islamic Republic. He is a more or less popular figure in Iran and although he has been abroad for more than forty years, many Iranians want him and his family back and believe he can make a big difference. On the other hand, Reza Pahlavi emphasizes that these changes cannot be done by one person and after the liberation of Iran, all people must take effective steps for their part. He considers the nation, not himself, as the savior.
Of course, the generations that were born and raised after the Islamic Revolution also have a different view of the past. Although they want change, they do not necessarily seek a return to the monarchy in Iran. New generations are looking for more fundamental change. They want more communication with the world to avoid Iran’s isolation. Communication that can lead to the further growth of science, economics, art and culture, and require the acceptance of how the world is today, not dependence on the thoughts and beliefs of a thousand years ago.
Now the situation of the Islamic Republic is shaky to an unprecedented degree. People like Faezeh Hashemi, a political activist, and the daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president and one of the most important figures in the system, announced that she would not participate in the election. Even former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sharply criticized the system after his dismissal, telling his supporters he would boycott the election.
In previous years, people went to the polls because they believed that change and reform took time and that they had to choose between bad and worse candidates. Such a belief no longer exists among the majority of Iranians and they only want to show their protest by not participating in the elections. Because otherwise they will be arrested, imprisoned or executed.
The head of the Election Office, Jamal Aref, recently announced a turnout of 37 to 47 percent, but unofficial statistics put it at between 10 and 20 percent. Presidential elections will be held in Iran in three days and millions of Iranians are counting down the days until they don’t elect the next president, but instead ignore him.
Image credit: Gage Skidmore
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