- Written by Thomas Mackintosh
- BBC News, London
image source, Getty Images
Friday’s election is seen as a key test of the legitimacy and popular support for Iran’s leadership, but turnout was expected to be low.
Iran’s election authorities are counting votes after Friday’s parliamentary elections, with unofficial reports suggesting the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The election was the first since 2022, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died in police custody, sparking widespread protests.
Amid the growing distress, many reformists are boycotting elections.
Early results show conservatives won 30 seats in Tehran.
Two separate polls were held on Friday, one for the selection of members of parliament and the other for the selection of the Assembly of Experts.
Parliament selects and oversees the Supreme Leader, Iran’s most powerful person and commander-in-chief.
Iran has been hit hard by international sanctions, an economic crisis and violent insurgency.
More than 61.2 million Iranians were eligible to vote.
Despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei calling on the people to vote, many Iranians were divided on whether or not to participate.
An Iranian woman shows her ink-covered fingers after voting at the Ershad Mosque in northern Tehran.
Early polls on Friday suggested turnout in the election could be at a record low, with turnout believed to be particularly low in the capital, Tehran.
A state-run polling agency had predicted a 41% turnout in the parliamentary election, which, if accurate, would be the lowest turnout in the past 12 similar polls.
Caroline Davies becomes first BBC correspondent in Tehran since 2019 to report on elections
Video: BBC’s Carrie Davies visits Tehran polling station as voting begins
Iranian votes are counted manually, which takes time. Some of the results have been announced. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, most expert meetings in major cities were counted.
This parliament is a group of 88 Islamic clerics who are responsible for choosing the next supreme leader when the time is right. Khamenei is 84 years old and the new parliament will serve an eight-year term.
Approximately 50 seats out of the 290 seats have so far been declared by some city councils. The final result will be revealed tomorrow.
Official numbers of voters have not been announced. Analysts suggested the low turnout was a sign of disillusionment with politics, after many government officials urged voters to head to the polls.
The supreme leader, who was the first to vote, said: “Vote as soon as possible. The eyes of Iran’s friends and ill-wishers are on the results.”
