NCRI – Reports by the civil correspondent network of the People’s Mojahedin Organization (PMOI/MEK) of Iran from twenty five thousand polling stations in the country until 5PM today, indicate an unprecedented sluggish turnout at the polls and that the charade has come under a vast public boycott. According to these reports, in some districts, the voter turnout is many times lower than past similar elections. At most polling stations, the number of security forces and regime agents are much more than the participating voters and the voters are comprised of mostly members of the security forces and their families.
The extent of the boycott is so immense that even the regime’s news reporters are admitting to the fact. A TV reporter from Zahedan, referring to complains of the regime mullahs at the Friday sermon said, “Turnout was low and it wasn’t appropriate to say that people didn’t participate. But overall the turnout was unsatisfactory.” This reporter added, “In the suburbs and remote areas the situation is better comparing to the city; places like Karim-Abad and Shir-Abad, etc. But at the city center, in some of the mosques, no one has showed up.”
Another TV reporter from the province of Fars described the polls similarly and said, “It was quiet this morning. When we went to branch 7-8 to prepare a report, the most crowded one that had some people there was the Shah-Cheragh shrine. The next after was the Seid Alaedin Hossein Astane. There were no lines at other polling stations. The elections in Shiraz will possibly go into second round.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 14, 2008