Neither Free Nor Fair: Iran Prepares for March 2024 Parliamentary Elections

Elections in Iran, whether municipal, parliamentary, or presidential, are neither free nor fair. Political-ideological filtering by the Guardian Council bars most candidates from running for office, and few among those who pass the filtering have access to mass media and funding sources to run successful campaigns. With voters’ choices limited to a small pool of preapproved regime loyalists, elections are generally reduced to a renewal of the public’s allegiance to the regime. The parliamentary elections scheduled for March 1, 2024 are no exception, and with Iran’s 2022-23 protests in mind, the Iranian media is openly speculating about the electoral participation rate, fearing a widespread boycott.

• August 10: In a conversation with centrist Fararu News, Hossein Kanani-Moqaddam, a political activist, and Gholam-Ali Jafarzadeh Imen-Abadi, a former parliamentarian, discussed the upcoming elections:
  • Kanani-Moqaddam said: “There still is a long time before the election, and many events could change the political pulse of the country in a positive or negative direction. Let us see what kind of people and which groups consider themselves qualified to run for Parliament and register as candidates. Once the candidates are known, the people will judge whether they will participate in the election or not.” Criticizing the reformist camp, he said: “The reformists have lost hope in themselves … meaning even if they pass the filter of the Guardian Council and are declared qualified to run for Parliament, they will not get the vote. This is why they already claim ‘the people will not participate in the election!’ If the reformists truly constitute a genuine political current and believe in democracy, they should do everything in their power to increase the electoral participation rate.”
  • Discussing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s call for increased participation in elections, Imen-Abadi added: “The leader of the revolution has recently made important comments concerning the electoral participation rate, but the Interior Ministry, the Guardian Council, the Voice and Vision of the Islamic Republic,” Iran’s state-run news outlet, “and other institutions have not done anything to realize the wishes of the leader. It is clear to the people that the faction in control of the Cabinet and Parliament is not interested in maximizing popular participation.” Turning his criticism against the regime and drawing a contrast between Turkey, where even jailed politicians can run for office, and Iran, where the Guardian Council routinely bars candidates from running, Imen-Abadi said: “Why are we not learning any lessons from Turkey? In the Turkish elections, one candidate was in prison, ran for office, got the vote, and was elected. In Iran, when a candidacy registrant is disqualified, he or she does not receive any explanation of why they were disqualified.” Attacking the parliamentary majority, he continued: “Look at what is happening in Parliament today. The Parliament is mostly concerned about the internet,” referencing parliamentary debates concerning how to restrict public access to the internet, “the issue of the hair of girls and women, and the like. This at a time when the economy is the primary concern of the people.”

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