Early presidential elections are to be held in Iran. However, in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat), this election faces a widespread boycott by Kurdish parties, opposition forces, and independent personalities.
The elections will be held on 28 June, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi on 19 May. Iran’s Council of Guardians has confirmed that, of the 80 candidates for the elections, six are eligible to stand for the presidency. Of the six, Masoud Pezeshkian is close to the reformists, while the rest belong to the fundamentalist faction.
The elections come as Iran faces increasing fragility both in terms of the economy and foreign policy. There is also the matter of the potential impending death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which would bring with it the issue of succession, according the coming election double importance.
Khamenei, in a speech on 25 June, called for maximum participation from Iranians considering the significance of these elections. He encouraged citizens to participate in the voting process to bring pride to the government of the Islamic Republic. The ayatollah stressed that a historically low turnout would only strengthen Iran’s adversaries.
Polling companies within Iran are restricted by the security forces, making their findings unreliable, but they indicate that at best around 51% of people will vote in the elections, while polls conducted abroad suggest that only 25% will vote. The official Iranian media reports that the participation rate will be between 42% and 52%. In any case, voter turnout can be expected to be low.
Certain prominent Iranian figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi have also chosen to boycott the elections along with the political parties and groups, with just one week to go. Ebadi said on her Instagram page that her decision is a reflection of public opinion in the country of the politicians and decision-makers.
In Iranian Kurdistan the election campaigns of the various candidates have been largely rejected and the level of public participation has been low. The Kurdish people are boycotting the elections, apart from a handful of reformist figures and groups, including the Sunni Islamist Jamaat-e Dawat o Islah (Call and Reform Organisation). During a meeting in Sanandaj (Sine) with reformist presidential candidate Pezeshkian, Call and Reform’s secretary general Abdulrahman Pirani emphasised the group’s support for moving beyond ethnic divisions, (referring to the Kurdish identity), in favour of a unified Iranian identity, and overcoming religious prejudices in favour of an Islamic identity.
Various groups and individuals, having chosen to boycott the elections, have issued statements to clarify their positions.
The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) issued a statement on their website expressing their view that the 14th Iranian presidential election will impose fundamentalist policies on Kurdistan and on Iranian society. The party highlighted the impact of the Jin Jiyan Azadî (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising on the Iranian authoritarian political system, describing the election as “a manoeuvre by the crisis-ridden system to consolidate power through demagoguery”, adding, “This is aimed at thwarting the revolutionary movement of Jin Jiyan Azadî and ensuring the survival of the regime.”
Furthermore, the statement criticised the Islamic Republic’s discriminatory policies against women and added, “The regime’s conflicts with Iran’s diverse peoples and nationalities have intensified.” According to the statement, the PJAK believes that participation in the elections would amount to squandering opportunities to build a better future, and would only bolster the state’s ability to suppress civil society.
Fourteen individuals arrested and injured during the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising have issued a statement declaring that they actively support the boycott of the elections as a means to overthrow the Islamic Republic. The activists stressed that their boycott serves as a message discouraging Kurds from voting in the elections, and aims to destabilise the regime of the Islamic Republic.
The Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan issued a statement on its website emphasising the importance of boycotting Iran’s presidential elections to bolster and perpetuate popular movements. Likewise, the Organisation of Iran’s People’s Loyalists (Fadaiyan-e Khalgh-e Iran) highlighted in their statement the legitimacy crisis of the Islamic Republic and criticised the elections as a mere show, urging the public to boycott them. Additionally, the Organisation of Democratic Turkmens of Iran also urged people to boycott the elections.
In response to Khamenei’s call for election participation, Ehwen Chiako, a member of the PJAK leadership, told Medya News: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to regain its lost legitimacy through these elections, promoting Masoud Pezeshkian as a reformist figure.” Chiako said of the candidates: “If reformists like Pezeshkian win, Iran may lean towards compromise with the Western world and introduce limited reforms while maintaining control over the security institutions. Conversely, if fundamentalists like Jalili or Qalibaf win, Iran is likely to intensify its crackdown on dissidents and opposition groups, including the Kurds.”
Observers of Iran and Iranian Kurdistan speculate that similar to past elections, the Islamic Republic may claim the voter turnout to be higher than it is, to address its legitimacy crisis among Iranians and the international community.
