Dozens Detained Across Iran for Violations of Election Rules

Dozens of people have been arrested in the last 24 hours in connection with offences committed during the elections of Friday, June 18.

Police apprehended suspects in cities across Iran over the course of a day marked by allegations of ballot-stuffing and attempted cash-for-votes operations.

The Revolutionary Prosecutor of the city of Abyek in Qazvin province announced that 27 people were arrested in his city last night in relation to electoral “violations”.

In an interview with IRNA news agency, Saeed Ahmadzadeh said the courts in Abyek had since filed 13 cases against 20 defendants over their activities on Friday.

The offences, he said, related to 13 incidents targeting voters and seven offences “against the candidates themselves”.

Seven people also had their vehicles confiscated in the city in connection with breaches of electoral law. Masks, a quantity of cash and “promotional pens” were reportedly seized at polling stations.

Meanwhile Rahim Alishpour, the Revolutionary Prosecutor of Robat Karim in Tehran province, announced the arrest of 20 people directly linked to “buying and selling votes”.

Earlier on Friday, Hossein Hasanpour, Gilan province’s deputy chief of police, had also announced that 27 people had been arrested in the course of the vote.

Without elaborating on the charges, he said the detainees were accused of "damaging the integrity of the election."

At a press conference on the morning of June 19, 2021, Jamal Orf, the head of the election headquarters, said there had been no serious disruptions.

Meanwhile, deputy interior minister Hossein Zolfaghari told reporters: “There no security incidents during yesterday's elections. Planning to ensure the security of the elections began about six months ago, and the necessary assessments regarding security threats were carried out."

This planning, he said, took place at the level of the National Security Council, the Electoral Security Headquarters and provincial security councils. A force known as the Imam Ali Headquarters was tasked with overseeing its implementation.

Describing the 2021 election as one of the "safest elections" ever held, Zolfaghari added: “Plots were hatched and people inside the country had been influenced and deceived, many of whom were caught by the intelligence net and arrested."

At noon on Saturday the head of the country's election headquarters announced that with 90 percent of the votes counted, Ebrahim Raeeisi had won the presidency.

The number of participants at that stage was said to be 28.6 million, 17.8 million of whom voted for Raeesi.

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