Iran Opinion: Why Iranians Voted in the 2012 Elections (Mashreghi)

Hedyeh Mashreghi, drawing from a range of interviews with Iranians, writes a guest article for EA:

Iranian people are distinguished by their strong sense of adapting to difficult situations, even the worst ones directly affectig their everyday lives. In just over 30 years, Iranians have experienced Revolution, war, and the constant threat of war, even as they are hopeful and desiring peace.

This could be an explanation for those Iranians who participated to the 2012 Parliamentary elections, but there are two other important motivations, even as most of the voters oppose the policies of the Government. Those motivations are religion and country.

Iranians can generally be classified in three groups: 1) those who identify themselves as Muslims; 2) those who identify themselves as Iranians; 3) those who identify themselves as Muslims and Iranians. The first group considers voting as a religious duty, the second group considers it as a national duty, and the third one considers it both a national and religious imperative.

Beyond this, for almost all Iranians --- even those who are in complete opposition to the Government and regime --- is their strong sense of loyalty, taking responsibility for their country’s fate. It is common to hear from Iranians, even those who are not religious and those who are hostile to leader, that they are voting for Iran. They will show the US, Britain, and any other nations or groups who expect them to boycott that they do not let others decide.

The history of Iran demonstrates that outside threats and sanctions unite people, making it easier for political parties to go into their caves to negotiate their policies and plans harshly away from public eyes.

This may explain the controversial decision of former President Mohammad Khatami to vote, despite the call of many reformists to boycott and his own conditions on participation. He gave the message to the Iranian people that, while we are from different political parties who may challenge each other, we all accept the Islamic Republic and are able to negotiate with each other for the sake of our country.

The Iranian people may be unsettled, even angered by their leaders, but this does not mean that people are ready to be saved by the US, Britain or any other country that calls for regime change. The lingering reaction to the 2009 Presidential election may mean that next year's turnout for the Presidential ballot may be lower, but that figure will eventually recover. Iranians always find a way to escape from limits upon them, inside and outside the country, to be the masters of their fate.