Former Member of Tehran Council Criticizes New Iranian Parliament
Conservative political activist and former Tehran City Council member Hasan Bayadi has expressed disapproval of the recently established Iranian parliament.
“With this combination of selected hardliners and sometimes shameless people, it’s just the same parliament, and perhaps even worse than the previous parliament,” Bayadi remarked in an interview with Rouydad 24.
He continued, pointing out that there was a record low level of voter turnout for the March elections and a large number of invalid votes. “In each period, we witness a decrease in participation compared to the previous one, but we see them congratulating each other for minimal public participation”.The impact of strong networks endorsing these players also worried Bayadi, who said that “this poses a significant threat to the integrity of the electoral system and the democratic principles it upholds.”
The administration reports that just 41% of voters participated in the polls on March 11—a historic low turnout—but actual voter turnout is probably much lower, closer to 10%.
Following the 2022 revolution, low attendance has alarmed Iranian authorities since it reflects the extreme mistrust that the Iranian people have for the country’s institutions.A large number of Iranians, particularly those in the younger generation, have lost faith in the political establishment. They believe that the candidates do not sufficiently reflect their interests, or that their votes might not result in much of a change.
Iran’s Guardian Council, an assembly of jurists and clerics, screens applicants for public office. Many possible applicants are eliminated by this screening process, creating the impression that there are few options.
Voters became apathetic as a result of economic hardships such as high unemployment, inflation, and economic inequality because they believed that the political system was not doing enough to meet their immediate financial needs.
People whose freedoms of expression and assembly are restricted, political dissent is suppressed, and an environment of fear is further fostered, discouraging political participation from those whose voices have been quashed by radical suppression.
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