Updates on the turnout in Iran regimes election
With Farid Mahoutchi of NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee
Good afternoon everyone,
Welcome to our election briefing
Reports by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from thousands of polling stations in Tehran and various cities across Iran indicate an overwhelming boycott of the sham election.
According to reports received by 2:30 PM Tehran time, many polling stations are completely empty or with few visitors. Reporting polling stations are: in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mahshahr, Bandar Gaz, Mashhad, Karaj, Badar Abbas, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Qum, Arak, Iranshaher, Yasouj, Shahriar, Marvdasht, Ardabil, Zabol, Hamedan, Saveh, and many other cities.
Repressive forces are busy intimidating the public to create an atmosphere of fear and to prevent any filming of polling stations. Anyone filming in Tehran risks arrest. The State Security Force, paramilitary Basij, and plainclothes police are heavily present in and around Enghelab Avenue, the Ministry of Interior, and the airport. Units of the IRGC, Basij, and special forces deployed to a disaffected suburb of Tehran, Islamshahr, during the night and early this morning, establishing checkpoints in the city’s various squares.
The state ISNA news agency also announced repressive actions aimed at closing businesses to enforce the presence of their employees at polling stations, with the closure of at least 155 business units, warnings to 5,073 businesses, orders to close for 1,073 businesses, and promises by 1,371 businesses to close in Gilan province alone.
In Tabriz, a high-security environment has been created since early morning. The repressive state security force (police) and the paramilitary Basij force, have been heavily reinforced on the sham election day by the IRGC who has deployed the Mohammad Rasoul-Allah corps to Tehran, and the Seyedol Shohada corps to provincial centers. These two military formations are under the command of the Saraollah headquarters and the IRGC intelligence organization.
Thank you for joining us and stay tuned for our next briefing.
