The voting time was even extended by hours. Opposition groups have called the decision a “panic decision”.
in Iran the voter turnout in the elections held on Friday is falling to a historically low level, says The Guardian. According to the first data, voting activity is falling to 40.6 percent, while it was 42.5 percent in 2020.
The polling stations were even kept open for two hours longer, he says, among other things Al Jazeera. After eight hours of voting in the capital, Tehran, turnout was down to just 12 percent. There is no definitive information on Tehran's activity yet, but it is assumed to be among the lowest in the country.
According to the authorities, the voting period was extended due to eager voters. According to opposition groups, it was a “panic solution”, reports The Guardian.
The elections will elect a 290-member parliament and an 88-member council of experts that elects the country's spiritual leader. There were 15,000 candidates.
At issue was the first time Iranians voted Mahsa Aminin after death. 22-year-old Amini was killed by police violence in September 2022. The young woman's death triggered huge protests in Iran.
At the same time, the economy has stagnated in the country, which is subject to heavy sanctions from Western countries.
The low voter turnout may be explained by the fact that the candidate does not have genuine reformist alternatives. Those running in the elections had to pass a preliminary inspection, and many reformists did not get to run. Al Jazeera according to that, there were only 116 people who could be considered relatively moderate or reform-minded.
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