Iran election: ‘Voting is meaningless’ in ‘sham’ contest, regime’s opponents say – as polls close
Polls have closed in Iran in an election that opponents of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime have dismissed as a “sham” in which voting “is meaningless”.
The parliamentary election is the first major test of the government standing with its citizens since large-scale protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022, and the violent crackdown that followed, which saw mass detentions and even executions.
A high turnout will restore the reputation of Iran’s clerical rulers, which was badly damaged by the unrest – some of
the worst political turmoil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station in Tehran. Pic: AP
But they may be disappointed, as only around 41% of those eligible are set to take part, according to official figures, down even on the record low of 42.5% in the 2020 contest.
Reza, a 35-year-old teacher in the northern city of Sari, was adamant there was no point in casting his ballot, saying: “I am not voting for a regime that has restricted my social freedoms. Voting is meaningless.”
Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, a women’s rights advocate, has called the election a “sham”.
On Iranian state TV, the mood was upbeat, featuring live coverage from across Iran, patriotic songs, and footage of people braving snow to vote in some towns and villages. Several people told state TV that they were voting “to make the supreme leader happy”.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said voting is Iranians’ religious duty and was among the first to do so.
He warned on state TV that “the eyes of Iran’s friends and ill-wishers are on the results.”
Voting was extended three times, to allow latecomers to cast ballots, with the poll for seats in the 290-seat parliament eventually closing at 2030 GMT.
The 88-seat Assembly of Experts, which will choose the 84-year-old leader’s successor, is also being chosen.
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More than 15,000 candidates were running, mostly hardliners and low-key conservatives, and the first results may be known on Saturday.
Hashtags including #VOTENoVote and #ElectionCircus were widely shared on the social media platform X by activists and opposition, trying to remind Iranians that a high turnout would legitimise the Islamic Republic.
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Officials said the participation was “good”, according to state media, but witnesses said most polling centres in Tehran and several other cities were far from full.
Heavyweight moderates, conservatives and reformers have largely stayed out of what has been called an “unfree” and “unfair” contest.
Experts have said large numbers of Iranians no longer think the ruling clerics can solve an economic crisis caused by a mix of mismanagement, corruption and US sanctions.
It comes at a time of huge tension in the Middle East, as Israel fights the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, and other groups backed by Tehran attacking ships in the Red Sea and Israeli and US targets in the region.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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