Khamenei Urges Iranians to the Polls Amid Public Discontent and Voter Apathy

Iran held elections on Friday for both its parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader.

The elections took place amid widespread public discontent with the Islamic Republic government and calls for a boycott by reformist figures and activists.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote early and urged citizens to participate, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement. 

"Pay attention to this, make friends happy and disappoint the evil-wishers," he said in brief remarks when visiting the voting station.

But Khamenei’s statements were met with skepticism by many Iranians, given the disqualification of numerous candidates by the Guardian Council. Candidates associated with the reformist movement were particularly targeted for disqualification.

The disqualification process, which is overseen by the Council, has been subject to criticism for hindering free and fair elections in Iran and for creating to unrepresentative parliaments.

Government-affiliated media attempted to portray a sense of "election excitement" by showcasing images of officials casting their votes.

The elections come less than two years after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, and the subsequent Woman, Life, Freedom nationwide protests, so public discontent remains high in Iran and voter expectations and participation were low.

The elections were also marked by a significant security presence on the streets. Over 250,000 personnel from the police, Basij paramilitary force, and army were reportedly involved in securing the elections.

Critics of the Islamic Republic said that the combination of widespread disqualifications and heavy security combined to make the elections anything but free or fair and that voters feel discouraged or suppressed in the current environment.

Preliminary election results are anticipated by Saturday. Approximately 15,000 candidates are contending for seats in the 290-member parliament.

The country's last parliamentary elections in 2020 had a voter turnout of 42.57 percent – the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In Washington, DC, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday that the United States suspected "a great number of Iranians have no expectation that those elections will be free and fair.".