2 months ago
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Polls opened in Iran’s presidential election at 08:00 AM, but by 6:00 PM, turnout remained low. The official voting time has been extended by four hours and may be extended further.
At 19:00 (16:30 GMT), citizen reports still indicated quieter polling stations even in comparison with 2020, but later reports indicated a relatively higher turnout at some polling stations.
By around the end of the official voting time less than 14 million of the 61.5 million eligible voters, around 23 percent, had cast their votes.
In 2021, turnout was 48 percent, the lowest in any presidential elections. This included the highest-ever percent of void and blank votes at 13 percent of all ballots cast.
Turnout in Iran's presidential elections has traditionally been higher in early and late evening hours with most conservatives and hardliners voting in the morning hours. Accordingly, votes cast in the extra time are more likely to benefit the pro-reform Masoud Pezeshkian, and to a lesser extent Ghalibaf, rather than hardliner Saeed Jalili.
In some previous elections with high turnout, voting time was extended past midnight to accommodate those still in line. This time, however, the extension aims to ensure a turnout of at least 40 percent, given the low activity at polling stations in many areas, including smaller towns, as citizen reports indicate.
In a tweet following the extension of voting hours, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif urged Iranians not to stay home. “Ignore the deceptive text messages and attempts to keep you at home,” he wrote, without explaining the origin or content of these messages.
Citizen reporters mentioned receiving a text message from the interior ministry in the afternoon, quoting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who stated that their votes, regardless of the candidate, are votes for the Islamic Republic.
“The meaning of the text message is: Those of you who are hesitant whether to vote for Pezeshkian or not, stay home! Because your votes are votes for the Islamic Republic,” one of the tweets regarding the interior ministry’s text message said. “Our vote is not [for] a referendum. It’s voting for a normal life. This text message has hidden intentions,” another tweet said.
