"A strong council ... a strong Iran" .. This is how Tehran urges the people to participate in the elections

Ahmad al-Sibai - Tehran

"They set the differences aside and let us unite for the sake of the homeland," a clip from the song "My Country You Are My Existence" by Iranian singer Salar Akili, which has been broadcasting heavily for days on local Iranian channels to push people to participate extensively in Friday's parliamentary elections.

The words of the Iranian song famous among people, which was issued two years ago, says that "hope for the future, we are history, originality, solidity and strength, there is a link between the country and the citizen, despite the differences in races and language, we are one country and one hand and we must raise one flag."

From the visual media to the publication, most of the daily headlines poured into the slogan "Tomorrow for Iran" and reached the point that "a strong council means a strong Iran."

For example, the title of the newspaper, "Iran", which is affiliated with the conservatives, was "Do not suspect it was elected", in a direct call to vote and change until the conditions of the people improve economically and socially.

Even in the street, the field campaigns intensified before the election silence today, as clerics and youth affiliated with the conservatives circulated in Tehran on Wednesday to urge people to participate in the elections, and it was noticeable that the late Qassem commander, Qassem Soleimani, distributed a booklet containing his will.

And the sparring was a protector between these and the people in the market and those who see that there is no importance and feasibility to participate in the elections.

One of the clerics says to those who were arguing with him - in the presence of Al-Jazeera Net - that "Soleimani (the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who was killed by the American forces in Iraq) is a symbol loved by the people of all walks of life, and he was defending the country's security in the political and military fields, and he was urging people to participate in the elections because Soleimani considered it one of the faces of the democratic process. "

He told a story about Soleimani that "he was once in Syria and asked to return to participate in the elections because he was preparing it as a national duty."

"For the sake of homeland security and Soleimani ... it is necessary to participate in the elections," the cleric concluded.

But how did the youth on the ground react to these calls?

In Azadi Square (Freedom), Tehran's most famous landmark, we meet with Abdullah and ask him about the impact of these campaigns on the directions of the street. He says that it does not affect the people, so whoever takes his decision will follow it, whether he participates or not, or chooses this or that candidate.

As for Aref, he believes that the effect is limited and affects the poor, the uneducated and the residents of small and remote cities who choose to break their fast without political backgrounds.

But Dawood had his opinion combining the words of Abdullah and Aref, and added to them that "the elections are fought on the same day and the campaigns that precede the elections, whether with or against the impact of which is limited, work on election day will be decisive."

Influence factors
On these campaigns, former diplomat Hadi Afqihi says that "traditional media and social media have a very influential role in public opinion, and there are two types of media, negative and positive, the latter urges people to vote and the first is the foreign media that incites people not to participate and spread rumors that The election results are already known and they exaggerate the threat of the Coronavirus and that the deputies have no authority to change, and their goal is the same, that people will not go to exercise their democratic right. "

He continued, "The Iranian people are one hand and stand behind their regime, and the assassination of Soleimani has created a suitable atmosphere for participating in the elections, and I believe that participation will be broad and intensive."

He concluded, "Tomorrow's voting percentage will reveal who influenced the people the most, Iranian or foreign media? The people know who is right."

In turn, the strategic researcher Dr. Shuaib Bahman believes that "the media in all countries of the world affects public opinion as well as in Iran, as it played a crucial role in urging people to participate in the past elections and will influence the elections tomorrow, Friday."

"Since last week, media campaigns calling for participation in the elections have intensified, whether on television, radio or the written press," he added.