The Iranian Revolutionary Guards called on Iranians in a statement to participate in the elections despite what they described as a media and psychological war against the country. They deemed the elections scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) as critical. This call from the Revolutionary Guards came just hours after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that boycotting the elections would not solve problems. Khamenei urged Iranians to vote strongly, indicating that he accepts complaints but does not accept abstention from elections due to these complaints.
The Iranian regime is preparing to hold presidential elections amid reports and polls suggesting that the participation rate is the lowest since the establishment of the regime after the 1979 "revolution." While state media intensified calls for election participation, 110 activists issued a statement on Wednesday announcing their boycott. They noted their solidarity with "the voices of citizens suffering from oppression, backwardness, injustice, corruption, and lies."
The signatories of the statement affirmed that "the regime has long publicly chosen the path towards centralizing and monopolizing power in accordance with the alliance of clerics and military personnel." They demonstrated that by eliminating any minimal internal competition among factions, the regime cannot even tolerate superficial and temporary reforms in its structure. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for participation in the elections despite criticisms, urging Iranians to head to the ballot boxes, even if reluctantly. He justified his call by stating that boycotting does not resolve the issue, pointing out the possibility of choosing a candidate from those available.
