Iranian Authorities Rally Public Amid Anticipated Low Election Turnout

Mohammad-Hassan Asafari told ILNA news agency, “These contractors exploit child laborers for their own financial gain as they pay children less and do not insure them,” adding that the Iranian lawmakers have repeatedly warned municipality officials in this regard, but of no avail.

From a legal perspective, the municipality is required to sue those private contractors who violate the law by employing children for such difficult jobs as waste collection and cleaning streets, the lawmaker pointed out.

Iran’s Parliament Research Center released a report in August highlighting an alarming rise in the number of working children.

The report indicated that 15% of the child population is engaged in labor activities. At least 10% of working children do not have the opportunity to attend school, depriving them of essential educational opportunities.

In September, Bahram Zonoubi Tabar, the head of the Labor Coordination Council in Fars Province, warned that Iranian children are being forced out of school and into the workplace as families struggle to make ends meet in the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

Tabar said, “With the commencement of the school year, numerous workers are grappling with difficulties enrolling their children,” adding that the country’s 100% increase in commodity prices within a year, compared to the annual wage increments of around 20% for workers, has made conditions unbearable for large numbers of Iranian families.

While the exact number of working children in Iran remains undisclosed, the Ministry of Labor indicated that in 2017, out of nine million Iranian children, 499,000 were considered “active,” signifying that nearly half a million children in the country were either engaged in labor or searching for work.

The event, titled Diver Martyrs, was branded by the association as an "unfortunate and disheartening practice." The council denounced the use of children for political purposes, deeming it a "blatant violation of children's rights."

On Wednesday, social media platforms witnessed the rapid circulation of images depicting schoolgirls employed by the Basij organization to carry symbolic coffins adorned with the flag of the Islamic Republic. The ceremony was organized to commemorate the 175 Iranian divers who were allegedly buried alive with their hands tied during the Iran-Iraq War. The remains of the divers were repatriated from Iraq in May 2015.

Over the past 44 years, the Islamic Republic has methodically developed and maintained propaganda structures across society.

In Iran, propaganda plays a pivotal role in maintaining authoritarian rule. The government's centralized control of cultural narratives stands as a fundamental function in authoritarian regimes. The Iranian state consistently relies on propaganda to assert its dominance, strategically manipulating people's emotions for political objectives.

She made the comments in a recent interview commemorating the anniversary of her father's death.

Responding to accusations, she stated, "They were lying; we have never built any towers. It's all lies."

Furthermore, Hashemi addressed rumors regarding her sister, Faezeh, allegedly relocating to Canada. Dismissing the claims, she emphasized, "Rumors were spread to the extent that they claimed a tower was built in Canada."

On June 10, 2009, two days before Iran’s contentious Presidential elections, in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed victory and protests gripped the country, Rasekhoon, a website close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, published an article accusing Faezeh of owning a major construction company in Canada.

Fatemeh Hashemi denied the allegations, asserting that reformist groups circulated the lies. She concluded, "Wherever we went, they said this belongs to the Hashemi family. They said Kish Island belongs to Hashemi! But dad paid the accommodation expenses himself."

In 2017, Javad Karimi Ghodousi, a former parliamentary representative and member of the Paydari Front accused Faezeh and another sibling, Yaser, of having plans to leave the country for Canada, citing their mother's illness as the reason.

Hashemi traced the origin of such remarks back to even before the Iranian Revolution. She added, "After the revolution, Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) and other groups spread such rumors. Later, Forbes magazine falsely claimed that Hashemi Rafsanjani was the fifth richest person globally."

Forbes reported in 2003 on the controversial allocation of properties and contracts in Iran's Chamber of Commerce, alleging that Rafsanjani's family benefited substantially.

On the same day, two former Interior Ministry officials warned about possible election manipulation.

Despite his government's inability to address the country's multiple crises since he assumed office in August 2021, Raisi urged officials "to solve societal issues, inspire hope, and motivate the people to achieve a high turnout," aligning with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call.

While Raisi's comments may have sounded like mere slogans, they shared a commonality with Khamenei's statement made a day earlier: both leaders addressed officials rather than the people, whom they desperately need to turn out at the polls.

Despite his seemingly agnostic demeanor, it appears that Raisi is aware of the root cause of Iranians' reluctance to vote, which is a lack of motivation and hope. In other words, he recognizes that his government and the entire Islamic regime of Iran have lost their legitimacy. Both leaders' solution to this problem is to rally officials to encourage people to participate in the elections.

Many Iranian scholars and even regime insiders have been saying during the year that long standing political and economic impasses have eroded people's hope the future. Consequently, most individuals and businesses struggle to plan beyond the next week.

Moreover, political biases enforced by hardline bodies like the Guardian Council and excessive pressures on the people through unhelpful legislation that threatens national interests have created significant rifts between the government and the nation, leaving the populace with little motivation for political engagement.

Nonetheless, this is one area where officials cannot take action without the people's active participation. The Iranian government, which has prioritized the interests of Hamas over the long-neglected demands of the Iranian people in the past three months, is now attempting to motivate unpopular officials to drive voter participation.

At the same time, hardliners in Iran, including Raisi and his father-in-law, Ahamd Alamolhoda, the firebrand Friday Imam of Mashhad, deny the existence of this problem. Alamolhoda said last week that economic problems would not stop the people from going to the polls. Some politicians speculate that Alamolhoda is likely to intervene in the election process by issuing a list of his preferred ultraconservatives candidates.

Meanwhile, two former Deputy Interior Ministers for Political Affairs, have warned that the Election Headquarters' decision to accept documents other that official ID cards from voters increases the likelihood of election manipulation in March. They also noted that the off-line voting system in many polling stations could lead to "errors" in vote counting.

The election headquarters has allowed voters to use documents such as driving licenses, smart cards (e.g., certificates of completion of compulsory military service), and passports for identification at polling stations, potentially facilitating multiple voting by individuals.

Ali Asghar Ahmadi and Mohammad Hossein Moghimi, who worked under the Rouhani Administration said only using the smart ID card will effectively eliminate the possibility of multiple voting by one individual.

All those problems aside, some reformists still insist that they are not likely to vote in the upcoming election.Reform Front Spokesman Javad Emam said: "We won't take part in meetings [with top officials] for begging or compromise." Referring to the disqualification of reformist candidates and Raisi's recent meeting with politicians and party leaders, he said: "Even Raisi has questioned the validity of Guardian Council's vetting." At that meeting, Raisi said "everybody is qualified to run for election unless the contrary is proved."

Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service reported the news on Wednesday. The airport houses international forces, including the United States. The official statement did not disclose any information regarding potential casualties or damage to infrastructure resulting from the thwarted attack.

Tensions in the region have been escalating since the start of the Gaza war, sparked by Iran-backed Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7. US officials documented over 100 attacks on American interests in Iraq, Syria and the Red Sea. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq attributes the actions to their opposition against Washington's support for Israel during the Gaza conflict.

Iran had refrained from attacking US bases for nearly a year leading up to the October 7th invasion by Hamas. During this time, confidential discussions between Tehran and Washington took place, aiming to release billions of dollars in blocked Iranian funds. In an effort to de-escalate tensions, the Biden administration agreed to release at least $8.7 billion held in South Korea and Iraq since June, along with securing the release of five American hostages held by Iran.

However, the Gaza war has triggered action from Iran's proxies around the region. Iran, a supporter of Hamas, issued a warning to the United States, threatening potential threats to US interests if attacks on Gaza persist.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also declared their intention to target both US and Israeli interests in the Red Sea, prompting the formation of a more than 20-nation coalition by the United States to address these threats. Despite the initiative, the Biden administration is facing increasing criticism for its perceived inability to deter Iran and its affiliated groups in the Middle East.