Hypothetical heat and quiet in reality .. Iran's parliamentarians and dialectic The question: Why do we elect?

Ahmad al-Sibai - Tehran

A visitor to Iran - specifically its capital, Tehran these days - does not feel that the country is witnessing next Friday's parliamentary elections. There are no banners, slogans, or pictures of candidates or calls to elect this or that current.

At first glance, one thinks that the cold weather is reflected in the atmosphere of the elections, but a tour of the streets and squares and the question of what is happening, brings you the answer, because the candidates abandoned reality to the cyberspace that became the backbone of their election campaigns.

Al-Jazeera Net tried to monitor the Iranian popular mood, and I asked one question to people representing the various segments of Iranian society: who will be elected, the reformists or the conservatives, or the third option that has come to be known as the "stream of moderation"? However, they answered the question with another question: "Why do we vote?"

This consensus on asking the question prompted us to take the discussion to a dialectic that is spreading in Iran during this period, and has reached the corridors of politics, about the benefit of participating in the elections or not, and not about the identity of the candidate and to which stream he belongs.

Street view
"Nothing has changed," Cheb Mohamed Amin told Al Jazeera Net. "Whether I participated or not, I voted in the previous elections, and my vote went with the wind."

And he continues that "all options are tested, and everyone raises the slogan of change, and they have failed to change mismanagement and stop the rampant corruption at all levels and to present a new model that differs from its predecessors ... the non-election is a strong objection letter to everyone."

From afar we see David's taxi driver, stuffy as if he had a lot to say, "I will not elect anyone, the deputies make and keep promises, they have nothing, so why should I go to the polls?"

Unlike Muhammed Amin and Daoud, Mohsen affirms the necessity of engaging in the process of "change and development", and he continued, "I do not deny that we have many problems in the country and for this we have to elect new faces. Some old faces were rejected from the Guardian Council because they were accused of corruption files ... Change Democrats need to restore order and improve conditions. "

This is on the ground, but in cyberspace, each candidate mobilizes his tools and prepares to convince the largest possible segment of the people - especially young people - to vote for him and bring him to the parliamentary symposium.

Communication sites - according to social media expert Poria Astrak - have become the most prominent weapon for all candidates, to reach the voter and explain their programs and future plans to him. Almost ten years ago, he entered the Internet and communication sites strongly on the race line towards the paths of politics or public action in Iran.

Another important factor that communication sites provide is "reducing costs", and even the state encourages candidates to adopt a platform to reach voters, according to Astarki, who adds that communication sites combine influence, speed of deployment, and acceptable cost.

Why despair?
But what are the reasons for the people's confidence that the elections will not bring anything new? Political analyst Siyush Falah Bor says that the rift between political currents is widening, and this is reflected in the people.

He continues that there are those who hold the foreign government's policies responsible for the deterioration of economic conditions, and others believe that Iran has a right and a principle and that it stands in the face of American policies.

In the opinion of Bohr, if the conservative movement wins, militancy will prevail, and will try to restore the parliament, which lost much of its status. The reformists ’victory means a flexible foreign policy.

He continues that the economic conditions have greatly affected the enthusiasm of the people in participating in the elections, and some of his slides see that the political authority does not hear the people's calls or respond to them.

And he expected that the turnout in small cities would be better than the big one, and the eye would remain on the gray segment - which is not large - that had not decided to participate in the elections or not yet.