Iran Sham Election, No. 5
Terrified of a widespread boycott, the Iranian regime’s leaders and organs from all factions and grouping are one after the other appealing for people’s participation in the sham election.
The IRGC described “maximum participation at the polls as delivering another strong slap to America.” Brig. Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, IRGC Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Amir Hatami, the Defense Minister, issued similar statements. The regime’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that with best participation we must “tell America that the policy of maximum pressure has failed.”
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said these appeals, which reflect the regime’s fear of widespread public boycott, only increase the people’s revulsion toward this illegitimate election and strengthen the public resolve to boycott this farce even more. With their chants of “death to the principle of the velayat-e faqih, and death to Khamenei,” during the November 2019 and January 2020 uprisings, the Iranian people have voted for the regime’s overthrow and consider the election boycott a patriotic duty and a bond with the galaxy of martyrs.
The boycott of the sham elections is a patriotic duty and the bond of the Iranian people with their martyrs, especially the over 1,500 martyrs of the November uprising. #Iran #FreeIran2020 #BoycottIranShamElections pic.twitter.com/RKWXwHbOe8
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 18, 2020
At the same time, many of the regime’s factions and media are speaking of no more than 15 percent turnout. San’at Emrouz daily predicted that the participation of people under 50 years of age will definitely be less than 10 percent.
Fearing popular protests, the regime has put the IRGC, the paramilitary Bassij and the State Security Force (SSF) on full alert, has cancelled their leave and told those on leave to return. The SSF command has ordered its patrols to turn on their warning lights and sound their sirens in a bid to intimidate and terrorize the public. The SSF in Tehran has been ordered to arrest any suspicious individuals at night. This morning, the regime dispatched 70 armored vehicles and 300 anti-riot forces riding on motorbikes to the city of Lordegan, western Iran, to intimidate them.
It is an established fact that the regime hypes the turnout several folds to create an image of legitimacy. This year, however, is different. One unique character of the upcoming sham election is the call for a boycott that has become pervasive in society.https://t.co/CIXztMDOo5
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 20, 2020
Nevertheless, the people in Tehran and other cities, such as Mashhad, Kermanshah, Mahabad, Sanandaj, and Alvand tore down publicity posters of the candidates.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 20, 2020
