Iranian Resistance Calls for an Election Boycott in Defence of Freedom

On 30 March, The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran)‘s network organized a social movement calling for a boycott of the regime’s illegitimate election.

Iran’s regime is gearing up for the Presidential Election of 2021, which will take place in June. Iranian authorities deceived society for 42 years by staging a show of “reformists versus hardliners.”

In recent years, however, Iranian citizens have made it absolutely clear that they do not see any difference between these ostensibly opposing factions. The chant “Reformists, hardliners, the game is over” is often heard at anti-regime rallies and protests.

The state-run Sharq daily referred to the national boycott of the regime’s parliamentary elections in February 2020 and underlined, “The forthcoming presidential election will probably not be widely welcomed by Iranian citizens.”

“The 10 million toman poverty line indicates the difficult conditions of low-income families, especially workers. The difference between income and the poverty line is a repeated story. But the skyrocketing prices due to the coronavirus have made this difference more important than before.”

Rather than intervening, regime officials often complain about the situation on international sanctions for the Iranian economic crisis.

The country is in the midst of a devastating economic crisis, with high inflation, escalating costs, and widespread poverty. The public’s dissatisfaction with the regime and its officials is growing by the day.

Furthermore, Iran has experienced five nationwide uprisings since 2018, the most recent of which was in November 2019 and was brutally repressed.

Although these socioeconomic problems have turned society into a time-ticking bomb the government’s media warned officials that the regime’s upcoming unwelcomed presidential elections and subsequent protest will be downplayed.

Consequently, the MEK’s Iranian infrastructure, known as the Resistance Units, has recently organized a nationwide campaign calling for an outright ban of the regime’s fraudulent presidential election.

Members of the Resistance Units in Tehran and Isfahan placed big banners of Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), with slogans such as “The election boycott is a response to the killing of 1500 martyrs in November 2019” and “The Iranian people’s nationwide boycott is yet another response to the murderers’ of 1500 blood-drenched martyrs of November 2019.”

Despite the repressive atmosphere and the presence of numerous security forces, people graffitied slogans in the city centers. “Our vote is overthrowing the mullahs and boycott the election sham,” “The mullahs will be overthrown this year,” “No to mullahs’ election, no to mullahs’ rule, yes to freedom.”

Other acts included Resistance Units, continuing to celebrate Nowruz and reaffirming their determination to turn the new Persian year into a motivator for more anti-regime demonstrations.

The Resistance Units launched an anti-regime campaign in Rasht, Kermanshah, and Bushehr. They are calling for a regime change and promised to make the new Persian year a year of freedom, democracy, and equality in Iran.