A reformist election boycott February 20 appears to have kept turnout in Iran's parliamentary election well under 50 percent. The boycott's apparent success could undermine the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and stands to hamper the ability of conservatives to push through their political agenda in the next parliament.
Observers say that there is little doubt that conservatives will take control of parliament. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. A paltry turnout, however, would call into question the legitimacy of their mandate to pursue a conservative political agenda. Many reformists, complaining that they were unfairly prevented from mounting a viable parliamentary campaign, had urged Iranians to stay away from the polls.
At polling stations in Tehran, some observers said turnout was lower on February 20 than it was for last year's municipal election, when under 12 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. In many cities, shops remained closed throughout the day and streets were virtually empty. At dusk, the streets filled with people celebrating the boycott's seeming success.
An effective boycott would serve as a rebuke to Ayatollah Khamenei, who appeared on national television in the morning of February 20th to urge Iranians to vote. "These elections are even more important than others," Khamenei said. He also suggested that those endorsing the boycott strategy were playing into the hands of Iran's "enemies."
Long before the polls closed, attention began to focus on the ballot-counting process. Some reformist leaders accused conservatives of conspiring to manipulate turnout totals. Reports circulated that members of Iran's armed forces had been observed casting multiple ballots.
Heightening concerns that vote totals could be artificially revised upward was the fact that election authorities extended voting hours until 10pm. According to the official IRNA news agency, the extension was needed due to requests made by "many polling stations facing late-coming voters." In sharp contrast to eyewitness accounts, IRNA reported that "Iranians across the country are showing a strong presence" at the polls. Influential representatives from the conservative and reformist camps were reportedly holding crisis talks late on February 20, striving to reach a consensus approach towards assessing the turnout and tabulating the votes.
