Poor Reviews for Theatrical Elections: Iran’s low turnout for elections and Khamenei’s successor

The New Arab Voice

At the start of March polling stations for Iran's legislative elections opened, and yet, very few Iranians turned up.

It was a record low turnout, with just 40.64 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot.

The low turnout reflected the discontent in the country, and the poor quality of candidates on offer.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Iranian elections. Why was the turnout so low, and what does it mean for the regime’s legitimacy. How did the Iranian regime seek to control the elections, and how do the different branches help to support the control of the deep state. And also, what can the recent election tell us about the plan to choose a successor for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Joining this week, we speak with Alex Vatanka (@AlexVatanka) the founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Ali Vaez (@AliVaez), the Iran Project Director at International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup).

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This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email [email protected]

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