Have Iranians lost faith in politics?
Conservatives in Iran have won the general elections, but the turnout was the lowest in four decades.
Hardliners are set for sweeping gains in Iran‘s parliamentary elections, but they seem to have less popular support.
Voter turnout in Friday’s polls was the lowest since the 1979 revolution.
That’s despite Iran’s supreme leader urging people to cast their ballots as a religious duty, to show resistance in the face of US sanctions.
Now conservatives are expected to have the upper hand in the parliament. And reformists, who had pushed for greater engagement with the West, have been weakened.
Some say many Iranians are unhappy with their government, and felt discouraged from voting.
With more than 7,000 potential candidates disqualified, voters’ options were limited.
So, how will Tehran deal with what seems to be growing public discontent?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Mostafa Khoshcheshm – Editor-in-chief of Fars News Agency
Arron Merat – Iran analyst and former Tehran correspondent for The Economist
Mahjoob Zweiri – Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University