Hardline conservative cleric Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khatami told a gathering for Qadr night in Tabriz that reluctance to participate in the elections was a sinful virus of indifference being spread by the enemies of Iran and of Muslims. Khatami, who is no relation of the former President, compared lack of participation to COIVD, saying that “if the Corona virus spreads, it will ruin the world, while if the sin virus spreads, this world and the hereafter will be ruined”.
First Vice President and rumoured candidate Eshaq Jahangiri told a meeting of governors and village leaders that they should not reject nominations from candidates for political reasons, as it “reduces the people’s choices and their motivation [to participate] in the elections”. Although speaking in the context of the local council elections, Jahangiri’s comments could also be interpreted as alluding to the Presidential election, which will take place on the same day. Jahangiri also spruiked his administration’s investment in rural economic programs, and the importance of village life to Iran, as one third of Iranians live in villages.
Ali-Mohammad Namazi, a member of the Reformist Executives of Construction Party, told Donya-ye Eqtesad said “the most serious rival for Presidential candidates this time around is turnout. I think only about 20-25% of voters will participate”. Namazi points to a real fear that public dissatisfaction coupled with COVID restrictions will lead to an abysmally low turnout. In the same interview, Namazi stated that Hassan Khomeini’s decision to withdraw from nominating was disappointing for the Reformists, although there was still hope that Mohammad-Javad Zarif might run.
Reformist member of Parliament Mohammad Sadeghi said that “we need high legitimacy for the presidency, but unfortunately the current situation does not give a positive outlook”. Sadeghi believed the ambiguity around who is going to run, coupled with the dire economic situation, the stress of the cost of living and international tensions have made voters disillusioned.
Member of Parliament Hossein Marashi said on Sunday that while a high turnout at the election might be desirable for the government, it might also become a double-edged sword. Pointing to the high degree of factionalism in Iranian politics, Marashi argued that a high turnout would be motivated by emotional participation which could lead to deeper divisions among the electorate after the result is announced. Marashi’s comments in some ways allude to the 2009 election, where a high turnout was followed by protests and violence.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, on the 42nd anniversary of the referendum creating the Islamic Republic stated on Twitter that then as now the Iranian people should be involved in all state decisions. Adding that the Presidential Elections will be another referendum, Ebtekar was supporting President Rouhani’s repeated statements that deadlocks in government should be resolved through referendum.
Outgoing President Hassan Rouhani stated when addressing a cabinet meeting that if Iranians do not believe that their vote has any meaning, then the Revolution will have effectively ended. Rouhani then called upon the country to repeat the “Twelfth of Farvardin”, referring to the Referendum that ended the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic in 1979, which had an official turnout of 98.2%
On the occasion of the celebration in Iran of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam of Shi’a Islam, senior cleric Hojatoleslam Ali-Reza Panahian stated that voting in this year’s election could usher in the coming of the Imam by creating a more just world. Twelver Shi’a Muslims believe that Imam Mahdi exists on earth in a state of occultation, and will become visible to people once again at the end of time. Panahian comments have been labelled “odd” by the Iranian media, but they were in keeping with the theme of encouraging participation in the election, a central point in the Supreme Leader’s Nowruz address.
The advisor to the Minister for Health has denied a rumour circulating in cyberspace that vaccinations will be made available to those who participate in the elections. The rumour arose in the context of senior figures, such as the Supreme Leader, lobbying for increased participation in this year’s election, out of a fear of a low turnout.