Iran Focus
An hour after polling began, eye-witness described one of Tehrans usually busiest areas as empty. Poll stations at Tehran-Pars Falak-Aval, Falak-Dovom, Jashnvareh, and Route 196 were reported as deserted. About an hour later similar situations were reported in Falak-Chaharom in Tehran-Pars.
In Sediqi Street some 15 people were seen queuing at 09:30 a.m. (Tehran time) outside the Saheb-Zaman Mosque in Tehran. Earlier, in Qazvin Street only 20 people were seen lining up to vote in the local Mosque being used as the election centre for Shahrak Farhangiyan district of Tehran, while in Paveh a local resident reported the roads around the voting station were like those of a ghost town.
At quarter to eleven reports came in from Tehran-No Street and Zeynabiyeh Street that only State Security Forces could be seen around polling booths.
Between 20 to 25 breaded men and women in black chadors were seen standing at the entrance of Imamzadeh Saleh polling station in Tehran.
In Nabovat Square, official state-run media were filming an old man being given a gold coin for having just voted.
Across Iran similar reports of empty election stations are coming in. Local residents in Tabriz reported at 10 a.m. that people are taking the weekend off. Fridays in Islamic Iran is the traditionally the last day of the week. Similarly, in the western city of Kermanshah residents reported lack of enthusiasm to take part in the polls.
In the northeaster city of Mashad, one eye-witness said that he saw only 10 to 15 people enter a local school where a voting station had been set up for the Old Street in Rah Qasem district.
In Isfahan, hours after the polls opened two women were seen entering the voting station in Mobarakeh Distirct.
With a fervent opposition call for a boycott of the elections, voting today seemed to have reached a new low, despite a last-minute call today by Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for massive voter turnout.
