PHOTO: Women in Tehran fill out their voting papers on Friday
As we await the first results from Iran’s elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts, I spoke with Monocle 24’s The Daily on Friday night about the ballot and why it is so important.
See also Iran Daily, Feb 27: Counting Begins in Parliamentary Vote
Iran Analysis: A Beginner’s Guide to the Elections and Why They Matter
It does appear that there has been a high turnout among Iranians who are better off. If that is true, it may be a sign that the centrists, who are linked to President Rouhani, and the reformists, who have faced great political pressure over the past decade, have done well.
Listen from 4:14:
This is only the start of a long fight. Iran has very serious economic issues. There is a lot of regime in-fighting over social freedoms. And perhaps the issue that we don’t hear about in the West enough — Rouhani is still facing a great challenge trying to release political prisoners, including opposition leaders who have been under house arrest for more than five years.
