Iranians in US stage ‘very good’ voter participation despite obstacles: Diplomat
An Iranian diplomat says the United States-based Iranians have been staging a “very good” electoral participation in the Islamic Republic’s runoff presidential vote, despite some obstructive efforts on the part of anti-revolutionary elements.
Abolfazl Mehrabadi, director of Tehran's interests section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, made the remarks on Friday.
“There is much verve and enthusiasm among [our] compatriots [here],” he said, describing the manner of Iranians’ contribution to the electoral process, adding, “Matters are proceeding in the best possible way.”
Iran’s US-based diplomats have been trying to have as many as 31 polling stations running for the Iranian electorate across the country, Mehrabadi, meanwhile, noted.
The run-off is underway between Saeed Jalili, a former lead nuclear negotiator and head of the country’s top security body, and Masoud Pezeshkian, an ex-health minister, following an inconclusive first round last Friday.
The election was called after former president Ebrahim Raeisi was martyred along with seven others on May 19, when the helicopter carrying them crashed into a mountainous area in northwestern Iran amid foggy conditions.
‘Unsuccessful disruption’
Mehrabadi noted that favorable electoral participation was underway, despite some “desperate” obstructionist efforts made by “some adversarial elements and enemies of Iran and democracy.”
Those, he said, have been contacting most of the hotels that have been hosting the polling stations as a means of trying to make waves and intimidate them into refusing to host the voting process.
He cited one instance when a Voice of America reporter had called one of the hotels, alleging that it is not allowed to host voting since Iran was under the United States sanctions.
The diplomat noted, however, that he and his colleagues had initiated legal proceedings against the obstructionists.
There have also been a few protests around the polling centers by “antagonistic groups, royalists, and loyalists of the anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO),” he said.
“Fortunately, though, our colleagues are making efforts to hold the election process in the best possible way.”
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