Prince Khalid bin Salman and US counterpart discuss over phone prospects for defense cooperation    Saudi Arabia highlights long standing relationship with UNESCO during Executive Board meeting    Princess Haifa: Sporting events draw 14 million tourists with SR22 billion spending in 2024    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to 78.8 years    Hajj Ministry sets April 29 as last date for departure of Umrah pilgrims    TASI recoups losses, records highest close since December 2024    Dar wa Emaar hosts annual Eid Al Fitr community celebration with residents at Saraya Al Narjis in Riyadh    6.8 million people travel via four Saudi airports during 2025 Umrah season    Ithra to showcase its art collection at Riyadh Art Week    Israeli protesters urge Netanyahu to secure hostage deal during meeting with Trump    Palestinian teen died in Israeli prison after suffering 'likely prolonged malnutrition', autopsy finds    Saudi U-17s qualify for 2025 FIFA World Cup after win over Thailand    Saudi Arabia imposes SR100,000 fine on Hajj and Umrah firms for not reporting visa overstays    US defends tariffs on remote island of penguins and seals    The Seven Dogs wraps filming in Riyadh with a budget exceeding $40 million    Trump's crackdown on university protests is casting a long shadow    Benzema rescues Al Ittihad with stoppage-time equalizer in thrilling Jeddah Derby    Al Qadsiah and Al Ettifaq share spoils in tense Eastern Derby stalemate    Moussa Diaby praises Al Ittihad's resilience after Jeddah Derby draw "When you can't win, you take a point"    Riyadh Art Week launches with over 50 galleries showcasing global artistic dialogue    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Iran elections: Record low turnout in polls as hard-liners win
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 04 - 03 - 2024

Hard-liners have won a majority of the seats in the parliamentary elections in Iran, which saw a record low turnout of 41% after calls for a boycott.
Most moderate and reformist figures were disqualified from standing in Friday's polls, which were the first since the 2022 nationwide protests.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told a news conference that 25 million of the 61 million eligible voters took part.
He also revealed that about 5% of the ballots cast were "invalid", or spoilt.
Hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi earlier praised the "passionate turnout", which he described as an "extreme blow" to opponents of the Islamic Republic.
Analysts said a low turnout would be a show of disenchantment with politics, after the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had urged people to vote.
Some 42% of those eligible voted in the last parliamentary elections in 2020. Turnout had been consistently above 50% before then.
Iran's election headquarters announced on Monday that 245 of the 290 seats in parliament had been decided in the first round.
The remaining 45 seats will go to second round run-offs because the winning candidates had not received the 20% of the votes required.
Only 14 candidates reached the threshold in the capital, Tehran, and its surrounding province, meaning that run-offs will be held for more than half of the 30 seats there.
Most of the winning candidates nationwide are considered to be conservative hard-liners, who are staunchly loyal to the Islamic ruling system and are opposed to political or social freedoms.
Conservatives also dominated separate elections held on Friday for the Assembly of Experts — an 88-member clerical body that is responsible for appointing the next Supreme Leader when the time comes.
Ayatollah Khamenei — the Islamic Republic's most powerful figure and commander-in-chief — is 84 and the new assembly will sit for eight years.
As with the parliamentary polls, many prospective candidates were disqualified by the Guardian Council, a hardline watchdog made up of theologians and jurists.
Among those barred was former president Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who had previously served on the assembly for 24 years.
Rouhani warned in January that such decisions would "undermine the nation's confidence in the system" but still turned out to vote on Friday.
Another former president, the reformist Mohammad Khatami, was among those who did not vote, having warned last month that Iran was "very far from free and competitive elections".
Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Narges Mohammedi denounced the elections as a "sham", following what she called the "ruthless and brutal suppression" of the 2022 protests.
The unrest was triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in a continuing crackdown by security forces, which have portrayed the protests as "riots". — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.