In the latest Iranian parliamentary elections held on Friday, the turnout has remained disappointingly low, barely crossing the 27% mark after 10 hours of voting. The city of Tehran witnessed an even lower turnout, with only 12% of voters participating in the first eight hours. In an unexpected move, officials decided to extend polling hours by two additional hours until 10pm, hoping to boost the number of voters. The authorities expressed optimism that the overall turnout would surpass the 42.5% recorded in the previous parliamentary elections in 2020.

The Iranian regime has placed immense importance on increasing the voter participation rate above the historic low of 2020. They believe that a strong show of political engagement will counter claims of a lack of legitimacy and an inability to address the economic and personal freedom concerns of the Iranian people. Despite opposition group claims of near-empty polling stations shared on social media platforms, the Guardian Council, responsible for vetting candidates, insisted that there were no issues with the election and projected a turnout similar to the levels of 2020.

While the authorities announced the extension of polling hours citing an increase in voter numbers, opposition groups dismissed it as a panic measure. In 2016, the elections witnessed an impressive turnout of 62%. However, this time, it is widely anticipated that hardline factions will further solidify their grip on the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for appointing the next supreme leader after Ali Khamenei.

Many reformist candidates were disqualified from running in the elections, leading to allegations of the election being only a facade. These disqualifications have only reinforced the belief among a significant portion of voters that the country is controlled not by politicians but by the security services and the army. The reformist movement has been on a decline for several years, and their credibility further suffered under the previous prime minister, Hassan Rouhani, who failed to deliver meaningful change during his two terms, including a period marred by the devastating Covid outbreak that claimed numerous lives in Iran.

With approximately 10 million eligible voters in Tehran province alone, it is expected that the turnout will be particularly low there. Balochistan province, suffering from floods, is also anticipated to witness a decreased turnout.

Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner and former judge close to the supreme leader, succeeded Rouhani as the prime minister. Raisi's ascent has seen the country adopt a more pro-Russian and anti-western stance. Internal phone surveys conducted just a day before the elections revealed that three-quarters of the population had no intention of voting, with only 16% showing definite plans to participate. Among those surveyed, three-quarters cited opposition to the Islamic Republic or the perceived lack of free and fair elections as reasons for not casting their votes.

As the regime faces the challenge of whether to disclose accurate turnout results, potentially showing that only about a third of the country participated while two-thirds rejected the regime by abstaining, concerns have been raised on social media that invalid votes would be included in the overall turnout count. Throughout the day, government news agencies have been deleting previously published turnout figures for specific provinces, as the numbers failed to rise as expected.

In an effort to quell the boycott movement, the police in West Azerbaijan province have announced the arrest of 50 "virtual page operators" who allegedly aimed to disrupt the public's mindset and promote non-participation in the elections.

Overall, the Iranian parliamentary elections have faced controversy and skepticism surrounding low voter turnout, disqualifications of reformist candidates, and concerns over the legitimacy of the election process itself. The final results and their implications for Iran's political landscape remain to be seen.