HomeNEWSIRAN NEWSLive report: Iran’s sham runoff presidential election met with boycott again
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Live report: Iran’s sham runoff presidential election met with boycott again

By Mahmoud Hakamian
Iran runoff presidential election boycotted by the people
Iran's people boycott the second round of the regime's sham presidential election—July 5, 2024

Iran’s regime is holding its runoff presidential election to choose the successor to Ebrahim Raisi, the former regime president who died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The first round of the election, held on June 28, was met with an historical boycott. According to estimates and reports by the PMOI’s network inside Iran, around 88% of eligible voters refrained from casting their ballots. Many of the people who did vote were forced to do so by the regime through threats and incentives. Many of the voters cast invalid ballots.

On July 5, as the regime opened the polling stations for the second round of the election, it is resorting to desperate tactics to rally its diminishing base to create the impression of a high voter turnout.

Current and former regime officials desperately plead with the people to vote in the second round of the sham presidential elections to give the regime a facade of legitimacy.

Regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei cast his vote early in the second round of the sham presidential elections and begged the people to come out and vote to legitimize his criminal regime. Khamenei said, “I heard that people’s enthusiasm and interest is more than before. I hope to God it is.”

However, Khamenei’s wishful thinking does not match the reports coming from different cities, indicating that polling stations are empty.

Former regime president Mohammad Khatami, who brands himself as a “reformist,” casts his vote in the second round of the sham presidential elections that has been boycotted by the overwhelming majority of Iran’s people.

But the people have been clearly voicing their desire for regime change through slogans such as “Reformists, principlists, the game is over” and “It’s not the time for elections, it’s time for a revolution” and “My vote regime change.”

Mahmoud Vaezi, Chief of Staff of former regime president Hassan Rouhani, said, “Hesitants and people who did not vote in the first round of elections, we respect them, we ask them, by voting, you decide the destiny.”

Brigadier General Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces, pleaded with the people to vote in the second round of the regime’s sham elections, saying, “Voting is a simple task, people come and vote, every vote is like a missile for the state.”

This is happening while early reports show that people are refusing to go to the polling stations.

Prisoners forced to vote

According to reports from Kahnuj prison, southeast Iran, inmates with open prison sentences were transported to the prison by bus. The day before, they were sent letters and text messages threatening them that they had to come for voting in the first round but did not. They were warned that if they did not come this round, they would be punished, and their prison terms would be extended. They were told they must vote for the candidate specified by the authorities.

At Lahijan Prison, northern Iran, inmates who were on leave were instructed to return to the prison with their identification cards or national ID cards to vote.

11:30 AM CET

According to reports received by 10:45 AM, 697 polling stations in 114 cities across 31 provinces have been visited.

More videos coming from inside Iran show empty polling stations as the people refuse to cast their vote for the regime. Meanwhile, the regime is resorting to different tactics to force people to cast their ballots.

People’s Reports:

At Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, regime authorities brought a ballot box to the prison for inmates to vote, but no one voted.

In Mashhad, regime agents went door-to-door on Thursday, begging people to come and vote the next day.

In Babolsar, the so-called Martyrs Foundation, which supposedly serves war veterans and their families, has threatened all its beneficiaries that they must vote, or they will be sent for reevaluation by the medical commission.

In Arak, refinery workers have been threatened with dismissal if they do not vote.

In Anzali, at 10:00 AM, some private companies have asked their employees to gather at the factory at 5:00 PM today to cast their votes in a mobile ballot box, promising a reward of 10 million rials to each.

In Qeshm island, a worker at Pasargad Energy Development Group said that this morning, the company president told the workers at Pasargad Energy Development Qeshm that anyone who votes today will receive an extra day’s wage. The workers of this company have been on strike for two weeks.

In Karaj, a Basij member inviting people in the bread line at the corner of Khorramdasht to participate in the election was roughed up by two individuals.

In South Pars Company in Asaluyeh, southwest Iran, leaves have been canceled, and workers have been forcibly taken to the ballot boxes. Workers at Sadaf Petrochemical Company have also been threatened with dismissal if they do not vote.

In Tehran, the Ministry of Interior has transferred some branch officials.

In Mahmoudabad, Mazandaran province, a member of the Rudposht village council, who is also a thug, was asking people yesterday to give him their national ID cards to vote for Saeed Jalili.

In Amol, the regime has instructed the civil registry offices to have managers and employees present at the ballot boxes as observers of the Assembly of Experts and, with the national ID numbers of those who participated in the previous round, cast votes on their behalf.

1:30 PM CET

Reports from various polling stations in 140 cities across 31 provinces indicate that by 11:30 AM, the second round of the presidential election show has been met with complete indifference by the people, despite the regime’s extensive measures and propaganda. The Revolutionary Guards, Basijis, and other repressive organs and institutions affiliated with Khamenei are trying to force people to vote through threats and bribery.

In Saravan, southeast Iran, Baluch activists reported that the IRGC, with the help of local Basij forces, are currently going to the homes of elderly individuals and those under the support of the Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Welfare Organization in various areas of Saravan and its suburbs. They are forcibly and threateningly loading them onto buses and taking them to polling stations.

In Tehran, the number of voters at polling stations such as Nobovat High School, Imam Jafar Sadegh Mosque, Qasem Soleimani High School, Nabi Akram Nar Mak Educational Complex, Komail Nar Mak School, Zahra Elementary School in South Mehrabad, and Amir Kabir School in Resalat Square is very low. Reports sent from some areas of Tehran to the Ministry of Interior indicate that the number of voters by 11 AM was 30 to 40 percent less than in the first round.

In Tabriz, at the Vali Asr Street polling station, seven people voted; at the Kaboud Mosque polling station, three people; in Kerman, at the Khomeini Highway polling station, nine people; and in Isfahan, at the Sichan neighborhood polling station, nine people voted. In Sabzevar, at the Herestan Divandari polling station, only a few military personnel were present to vote. In Izeh, at the Atret School polling station, even though they distributed free food, no one came to vote.

In Tehran, at Dey Hospital, patients have been told that to avoid problems, they just need to drop the ballot into the box, but only five Basij members voted.

In Bandar Abbas, since yesterday, regime authorities have contacted the village heads and instructed them that all villagers must come to vote and vote for Jalili.

4:00 PM CET

According to reports received by 1:00 PM Iran time, 1,824 polling stations in 187 cities across 31 provinces have been visited, with some of the reports as follows:

Isfahan – 10:00 – Simay-e Azadi reporter: The number of polling stations has been significantly reduced compared to the first round of the election to avoid showing how empty the stations are. Most of the campaign banners have also been taken down by the regime out of fear of protesters ripping and burning them.

Torbat-e Jam – 11:00 AM – Simay-e Azadi reporter: All polling stations are closed, and everyone is concentrated in the mosque where people come for Friday prayers to create the impression that the crowd is out to vote.

Tehran – 11:00 AM – Jameh Mosque polling station on Afasariyeh Street: Three people have come to vote. A bus brought people to vote, which seems to have been brought from the villages.

Mashhad – 10:00 AM – Simay-e Azadi reporter: I checked various parts of Mashhad several times since 8 am. The security atmosphere is very high. Unmarked patrol cars with cameras on top are patrolling the city. Several plainclothes officers are roaming around in all the polling stations.

Pakdasht, Tehran – 11:00 AM – Ebrahimabad village polling station. No one has come to vote.

Shiraz – 11:00 AM – Simay-e Azadi reporter: The regime has concentrated all its efforts on two polling stations at Shahcheragh and Seyed Alaeddin (Astaneh) to film and promote an impression of high turnout.

Rasht – 11:50 AM – Security measures in the city are very intense. Armed IRGC troops have entered polling station 165.

Khash (Sistan and Baluchestan province) – 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM– No one has come to vote. Armed officers are present throughout the city.

Tabriz – 11:00 AM – Simay-e Azadi reporter: Yesterday afternoon, special anti-riot forces arrived from Tehran.

Koohrang County (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province) – 11:00 AM – In the villages of Aliabad and Fereydoon Abad, supporters of Jalili have taken the ballot boxes and are harassing people.

Tehran – 11:00 AM – Ansar-al-Mahdi Jameh Mosque polling station – The polling station is completely empty, and there is no noticeable movement. The police and Basij forces are idly standing around while creating a very secure and intimidating atmosphere. The Mahdi Mosque is known for its “No to the Islamic Republic” and election boycott stance.

Tehran: There is no news from Shariati Street from Tajrish to the beginning of Mirdamad. At the intersection of Shariati and Mirdamad, special units are stationed with seven cars and a van for detainees.

Karaj: An observer was expelled from Mirzaei School polling station in Azimieh and replaced with a Basij member.

Tehran: The regime has brought 14 buses of villagers to Jameh Mosque in Afasariyeh to vote.

Tehran: Two Basij members in Janat Abad have been tasked with ringing people’s doorbells to get them to come and vote.

Gilan – 11:00 AM – Shaft 1 polling station, section 97 – Ten people are present – IRGC forces, Basij, and the Welfare Organization’s committee members, and in general, the regime’s paid affiliates are mobilized, using threats and phone calls to drag people to the polls.

All regime apparatuses, from the governor, directors-general, governors, district governors, village heads, directors of departments, mosque trustees, religious ceremony organizers, city and village councils, and former members of parliament, are active.

Kermanshah province Touh Khoshkeh Jalalvand village – 11:00 AM – Regime authorities brought a mobile polling station, no one came to vote, and they had to pack up and leave.

Former MP and presidential candidate Mohammad Reza Aref said, “The day after the elections, we will enter the phase of camaraderie.”

5:30 PM CET

According to reports from 31 provinces of the country, by 3:00 PM, the polling centers of the regime were still empty, and the regime has failed to bring people to the polls. Media outlets affiliated with the IRGC have begun spreading false news about increased participation compared to the first round to pave the way for widespread fraud.

This afternoon, there were no voters at the polling stations on Helal Ahmar Street, Sa’adat Abad, and Allameh Street in Tehran. At the Imam Hussein Mosque polling station, three people voted; at Khomeini Mosque, two people; at Imam Hassan Mosque, 15 people; at Haj Hossein Elementary School, two people; at Al-Nabi Mosque in Narmak, 10 people. In the morning hours, at Musa bin Jafar Mosque, two voters were seen; at Ghasemi Technical School, three voters; at Hejab Elementary School, three voters; and at Sa’ei Technical School, eight voters. Some polling stations from Imam Hussein Square to Darvazeh Dowlat have been closed.

In Mashhad, the regime brought Afghan agents to the polling station at Javad Al-Aemeh Mosque. At Imam Hassan Mosque and Roqiyeh Mosque, the number of voters was minimal. At 1:00 PM, there were eight voters at Seyed Mosque in Isfahan and two voters at Navab Safavi Elementary School. In Shiraz, Sari, Tabriz, Sarab, Kerman, Borazjan, Mahshahr, Yazd, Kish, Semirom, Andimeshk, Sanandaj, Bukan, Oshnavieh, Kermanshah, Urmia, Farsan (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari), Eslamshahr, Ahvaz, and other cities, there were hardly any voters by 3:00 PM.

In Tehran, the regime announced to job seekers that a condition for employment is to participate in the elections. In Shadegan and Abadan, the regime pressured tribal leaders to encourage Arab compatriots to vote. In Shiraz, agents approached the families of prisoners, promising them that if they voted, their children would be released, but the families responded that they would not accept such disgrace.

In Khorramdarreh, the mother of one of the injured from the 2022 uprising was asking people not to vote when Basij forces attacked her. People clashed with the agents in support of this mother. The police arrested her and the people who came to her aid.

In Saravan, regime agents brought ballot boxes to Sediq Akbar Mosque in a minibus to collect votes from the worshippers, but brave young people set the boxes and the minibus on fire, and the minibus had to be removed with a crane. In Kohrang (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province), supporters of Jalili stole ballot boxes in the villages of Aliabad and Fereydunabad. In Aq Qala (Golestan province), the regime brought Basij women to the polling stations to vote for Jalili. In some polling stations in Yazd, voters were offered a dish of rice and stew, but no one came to vote. In Qaemshahr, government agents threatened individuals to vote for Jalili.

In Tehran, repressive forces are heavily deployed on Enqelab Street and Ferdowsi Square. At the City Theater, a special unit is present with 20 motorcycles, three large vans, two patrols, and a State Security Forces vehicle. In Vali-e-Asr Square, IRGC and special unit forces are stationed with 10 IRGC motorcycles, 20 special unit motorcycles, and State Security Forces vehicle. On Keshavarz Boulevard, many plainclothes motorcyclists are present, and in front of Tehran University, an IRGC intelligence Nissan patrols. At the Azadi and Towhid intersection, SSF patrols are stationed.

The criminal head of the repressive police force in Yazd said, “Higher participation will be a strong response to the dissidents and the [PMOI] who are trying to show that people are tired of the regime and are not participating in the elections. The security of the elections in Yazd has been ensured with 5,300 security forces.”

The state-run Asr website write, “Because the second round of elections is unlikely to be extended due to low turnout in the final hours, vote in the early hours.”

Tabriz – 2:30 PM – Imam Hussein Mosque polling station – Simaye Azadi reporter: Since early morning, the regime’s mobile radio and television unit has been parked in front of the mosque to film. A group of Basij members, all of the same type, crowded in front of the mosque to create a staged scene for the cameras.

The same group of Basij went to the Nabi Akram Mosque at the end of Shahnaz Street, created another fake queue there, and then moved to the polling station at a school in North Sajadiyeh, making another queue. To keep this plan from being exposed, they transport the Basij members by car.

Tabriz – Qare Aghaj – 1:45 PM – Badkoubeie Mosque polling station: There were five people inside the station, and no one was outside.

Simaye Azadi reporter in Shiraz: On Modarres Boulevard in Shiraz, agents are knocking on every door, trying to drag people to the polling stations by threats. They promise people millions in subsidies and threaten that if they do not come, their subsidies and salaries will be cut off.

10:00 PM CET

Based on reports received from 31 provinces, by 5 PM, the regime’s election show has faced widespread disregard and boycott. An official at the voting station of Rasoul Akram Mosque in Tehran reported to the Ministry of Interior that at most times, there are no more than four people at the ballot box, there are no young voters in sight, and participation in this round is half of the previous one.

In Tehran, people are receiving messages on their mobile phones urging them to come and vote, saying that the martyrs are waiting for them, but no one pays attention. Basij forces are standing at the Towhid intersection in Tehran, inviting people to vote in exchange for money. The polling station on Allameh Shomali Street in Saadat Abad was closed at 11 AM due to inactivity. Polling stations in districts 1 and 2 of Tehran are empty. At 3 PM, there were no voters at the Imam Jafar Sadegh Mosque station. At the Seyyed Al-Shohada Elementary School, there were two visitors, at Ansar Al-Mahdi Mosque, there were 15 visitors, and at Hazrat Zahra Mosque, there were five visitors. No one came to vote at Fakhar Mosque and Issa Behram Girls’ Elementary School stations.

In Isfahan, at 2 PM, there was one person at the Mashahir High School station and five people at the Bilal Mosque station, with no voters at the Darb Kushk Mosque station.

In Birjand, the busiest polling station in the first round of elections was closed this time at 3 PM due to lack of voters. In Urmia, three stations were closed at noon for the same reason. In Zahedan, thousands of worshippers passed by the polling stations indifferently after leaving the prayer hall.

In the cities of Qaemshahr, Arak, Dorood, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Amol, Mamasani, Farsan, Hafshejan, Zahedan, Boumehen, Bukan, Mahabad, Pakdasht, Someh Sara, Talesh, Qom, and Ahvaz, there were either no voters or very few visitors in the afternoon hours.

In some villages in Alborz province, election officials at polling stations tell passersby to come have lunch and tea and then vote. In the city of Qasr-e Qand in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the governor, IRGC commanders, and the head and deputy of the IRGC intelligence and election observers lined up in front of the polling station, taking photos and videos to present it as public participation in the elections.

In Urmia, IRGC and Basij agents and other regime operatives were chanting slogans in favor of Jalili with 30 cars in front of the Moghanlu station, but no one paid attention, and they were forced to leave.

The Ministry of Interior sent a text message to all people, quoting Khamenei, saying that those who love Islam and the progress of the country should participate in the elections. The regime sent another text message to the people of Tehran, stating: “Dear citizen, over 24,000 martyrs in Tehran have shed their blood to protect the country. The martyrs are waiting for your effective presence at the ballot boxes. Hesitation is not permissible.”

A member of the police force in Qazvin wrote on his Telegram: “I am a member of the police force in Qazvin. From morning until 3 PM while on patrol, I can confidently say I have never seen the city like this; Qazvin has become a ghost town with no birds flying.”

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), congratulated the people of Iran on the decisive boycott of the regime’s election, which she described as “another crushing sledgehammer of a boycott to the principle of the velayat-e faqih (absolute clerical rule) and Khamenei’s farcical electoral masquerade.”

“This represents a universal ‘no’ to religious despotism, a decisive vote by the Iranian people to overthrow regime and to establish a democratic republic,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “In a democratic #Iran, there will be no room for despotism, remnants of clerics or the Shah, executions, or torture.”

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