As the regime’s parliamentary election day in March approaches, the regime’s efforts to engineer the results and deceive the public become more evident. The situation has reached a point that regime officials are warning about the elections becoming a “referendum against the regime” and they warn their rivals about the possibility of another nationwide uprising against the regime.
On January 9, regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei warned that speaking about the futility of elections is “the strategic policy of the enemies of the revolution.” Afterwards, the regime intensified its propaganda efforts against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which it considers its main enemy and threat.
On January 12, 2024, the Friday prayer leader of Qom, Mohammad Saeedi, spent his entire sermon to the PMOI and their methods of infiltrating and attracting the youth among the people. He warned, “Today, our enemies seek to drive a wedge between the people and the ballot boxes.”
Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Guardian Council, highlighted the main reason for Khamenei’s fear of the chaos of the electoral spectacle. He warned on December 30, “Those who instigated turmoil want to achieve what they couldn’t achieve in the unrest through the March 1st elections! They wish to say that this regime is not a democratic system, they want a referendum against the regime.”
In a meeting with the leaders of various factions, Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi said, “What unites political parties, groups, and factions is the preservation of the regime.” He then referred to the common enemy and added, “Know that the unrest of the past year showed no mercy towards any political party, movement, or elements within the regime.”
On January 8, Tte editor-in-chief of the state-run Etemad newspaper , Elias Hazrati, emphasized the necessity of unity among all ruling factions to confront the PMOI. He said, “When the PMOI believed that they could overthrow the regime within two days with an organized militia, [regime founder Ruhollah] Khomeini once again resorted to the people and formed a 36-million-strong intelligence structure. This formed the basis for the country’s decision-making process and placed popular participation at the highest levels in advancing affairs.”
Hazrati further referred to the uprisings of 2019 and 2022 and added, “Special events have taken place in the country since 2019 and 2021, and meaningful and purposeful participation in Iran has decreased. Additionally, specific social events occurred in 2022 that raised significant concerns and magnified the importance of the 2024 elections in Iran. Despite the shortcomings and unkindness that our friends had witnessed, some of the reformist parties stepped forward and advised the people and various groups to participate in the elections.”
The state broadcaster IRIB, through its orchestrated debates with figures from all defeated factions, aims to protect the regime against the threat of PMOI and organized resistance, even at the cost of admitting to the regime’s failures.
While the regime has spent astronomical sums to publish over 500 books and hundreds of fake films, TV series, and documentaries against the PMOI, Adel Haddad, former Speaker of the Assembly of Experts, stepped forward and said, “Lack of awareness of the crimes [PMOI], which have been to the shortcomings of the information and cultural institutions over the years, has led to a biased judgment of the people towards the PMOI.”
By referring to the so-called trial against PMOI members, he added, “Conducting trials alongside the presentation of documents and evidence will raise public awareness.”
Throughout this extensive propaganda campaign, which includes everyone from Khamenei himself to all factions of the regime, the regime tries to instill fear of the PMOI as a common enemy. Khamenei’s goal in engineering the elections is to “purify” the regime and consolidate power to deal with its crises, primarily the threat of uprisings. However, it is now becoming apparent that he is facing the prospect of other uprisings; he is resorting to desperate measures to preserve the regime against the PMOI and uprisings.
