Iran's Top Sunni Cleric Deems Electoral System "Ineffective"

Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric has said elections have failed to bring "capable and deserving" officials into office.

"Many perceive the current electoral methods as ineffective in bringing in capable and deserving leaders for the nation," Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the southeastern city of Zahedan, said on March 8. 

Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people.

He used his Friday sermon to urge the authorities to investigate the reasons behind the declining voter turnouts. 

"This recurring pattern of disengagement demands a thorough examination," the cleric said. 

Molavi, who has been a key dissenting voice inside Iran since the eruption of nationwide anti-establishment protests in September 2022, previously criticized the selection processes for managers and officials in the Islamic Republic and deplored the mass disqualification of “competent and capable” candidates for elections.

Last week's elections in Iran have set a significant precedent with a record-low voter turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

At approximately 40 percent, the turnout figure contrasts sharply with previous elections, where it often soared above 55 percent and sometimes even reached 75 percent.

Most of Iran's disgruntled and disenchanted voters skipped elections for parliament and the Assembly of Experts on March 1. 

They see the process as a false display of democracy meant to validate a government that has not improved their living conditions or personal freedoms.