Iran To Vote In General Election Many See As 'lost Cause'

Sumaira FH Published February 15, 2020 | 03:22 PM

Iranians vote next week in a crucial parliamentary election that is widely expected to herald the return of conservatives and heap pressure on beleaguered President Hassan Rouhani

Tehran, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2020 ) :Iranians vote next week in a crucial parliamentary election that is widely expected to herald the return of conservatives and heap pressure on beleaguered President Hassan Rouhani.

Friday's vote comes after months of steeply escalating tensions between Iran and its decades-old arch enemy the United States.

The Guardian Council, the body that rigorously vets candidates, disqualified more than half of the 14,444 who sought to stand -- including dozens of mostly moderate and reformist incumbents.

A week of campaigning for seats in the Majles kicked off Thursday with little fanfare.

Faced with the stark choice of voting for the conservatives and whether or not to vote at all, those who backed Rouhani in the past see this election as a lost cause and are expected to stay away in droves.

"The majority of the current parliament is composed of reformists, and people believe that they haven't done anything serious" since being elected in 2016, said independent journalist Farshad Ghorbanpour.

The purge of candidates was "unprecedented", said Ghorbanpour.