The majority of Iranian voters shunned the presidential election won by ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raïssi, exiled opposition representatives said on Saturday, hailing the “
boycott
” as a blow to the country's theocratic system.
Ebrahim Raïssi was elected in the first round with 61.95% of the vote and a participation of 48.8%, the lowest rate for a presidential election, according to the Iranian authorities.
Read also: Iran: who is Ebrahim Raïssi, the next president of the Islamic Republic?
Iranian opposition groups based abroad had called for a boycott of the election for which Raisi's main rivals were disqualified by authorities in Tehran or withdrew.
National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) leader Mariam Rajavi said the "
national boycott
" was the "
biggest political and social blow
" to the system led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“
The boycott proved and showed the world that the only will of the Iranian people was to overthrow this medieval regime,
” she said.
Read also: Iran: how the entourage of the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guards took over the state apparatus
Banned in Iran, the People's Mojahedin (MEK) movement believes that the real turnout was 10% and that the authorities have multiplied it by five thanks to "
astronomical falsifications
", according to the NCRI. This estimate is based on reports from 1,200 witnesses in 400 cities in Iran and more than 3,500 video clips made in polling stations, the NCRI added, without specifying how it had achieved a 10% turnout.
The Iranians have shown "
unity and solidarity
" by "
boycotting and saying no to the authoritarian regime in Iran
", wrote on his Twitter account Réza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah Mohammad Réza Pahlavi and heir to the throne before the revolution Islamic 1979. “
You have shown the will and the power of the nation. Your freedom is near,
”he added. Calls for a boycott of the ballot were also launched by personalities in Iran.
