Iran votes Friday in key elections which conservatives are expected to dominate, capitalising on public anger against moderate President Hassan Rouhani over a ravaged economy, corruption and multiple crises.
The 11th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution comes after steeply escalating tensions between Iran and the United States and the accidental downing of a Ukrainian airliner that sparked anti-government protests in Tehran.
Experts predict a low turnout with rising voter apathy that they say will serve the conservatives at the expense of Rouhani, who was re-elected in 2017 promising more freedoms and the benefits of engagement with the West.
Iran has been hit by an economic slump and high inflation following harsh US sanctions after President Donald Trump pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018.
Nearly 58 million people are eligible to vote.
Around half of the 16,033 hopefuls will contest the 290 seats up for grabs across 31 provinces after the Guardian Council election watchdog barred thousands of would-be candidates, mostly moderates and reformists.
On Thursday, Washington upped the ante slapping sanctions on five Iranian officials in charge of vetting candidates, including Ahmad Jannati, a powerful cleric.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Iranians to flock to the polls, reiterating the mantra that it was a “religious duty”.
Rouhani echoed him, saying that taking part would give Iran “strength and unity”.
“We are under severe sanctions and pressure by the global arrogance, and we have to break these sanctions and improve people’s lives,” he said, referring to the United States.
On the eve of the elections, state media aired a short clip showing votes transforming into torpedoes hitting enemy navy ships closing in on Iran.
Hessameddin Ashena, Rouhani’s main adviser, warned on Twitter that abstention “increases (among other things) the possibility of a military aggression”.
Turnout in Iran’s past 10 elections averaged 60.5 percent, according to the interior ministry.
The Guardian Council said it expected at least 50 percent of registered voters to cast ballots in Friday’s election.
Many voters, however, have voiced disinterest.
“We voted for Mr Rouhani with a dream, and then we didn’t achieve anything. So, in my opinion, people are not hopeful any more,” said Mohammed, who spoke from his carpet shop and only gave one name.
