In his last pleading message with the people, Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei linked participation in the sham presidential election to the survival, continuity, and reputation of the regime. He used all his resources, tricks, and forces to avoid a repeat of the mass boycott of parliamentary election debacle in March. But despite his efforts, Iran’s people responded with a crushing boycott of the election to choose the substitute for now-dead regime president Ebrahim Raisi.
The massive nationwide “no” from the people, along with widespread activities of the Resistance Units and the brave actions of the rebellious youths of Iran, dismantled the deceitful setup for high voter turnout.
On Friday morning, in his final plea to the regime’s worn-out forces, Khamenei ridiculously described participating in this disgraceful farce as an “easy task” and said: “The survival of the Islamic Republic and its integrity, honor, and reputation in the world depend on the presence of the people… When you say some are hesitant, I see no reason for doubt. It’s an easy task with significant results…” However, millions of Iranians loudly shouted “no” to religious despotism, demonstrating a glorious and enduring message of victory.
According to reports from Simaye Azadi reporters and PMOI Resistance Units, the atmosphere in Tehran and other cities bore no resemblance to an election scene. The streets were completely deserted, and numerous eyewitness reports indicated the polling stations were empty. In various cities and at different times, half of the reports received from polling stations indicated not even a single voter was present, and in some cases very few voters were present.
In Isfahan, families of Basijis and IRGC members were transported to various polling stations to vote. In Shahr-e Kord, regime’s mobile TV units were stationed at Imamzadeh Masum from the night before to show people coming for pilgrimage on Friday as a voting queue. In Kerman, most stations were empty, with only a few Basijis present at each station until around noon.
The election became so lackluster that the regime had to go prisons, threatening inmates that if they did not vote, they would be sent to overcrowded halls with poor hygiene and inadequate food. In the barracks, soldiers were promised leave if they voted.
In some cities, regime security forces were deployed to prevent people from filming the empty polling stations. Nonetheless, PMOI activists took risks to film outside and inside the polling stations and reveal the truth to the world.
Even the journalists who were pre-arranged and invited to specific polling stations to reflect the vibrancy of the show reported on the sluggish and stagnant elections.
The regime’s electoral farce also drew the attention of foreign observers and news media. The Washington Post wrote on June 28: “The vote came as Iran copes with multiple crises, including an ailing economy… ‘I think the people who are going to vote are either connected to the system, which means they are happy with how things are, or they are very naive,’ a 38-year-old bakery owner in Tehran said ahead of the vote… ‘To be honest with you, I don’t trust any of them,” she said of Iran’s political class. ‘I think it is silly to have hope.’”