On Friday, Iran goes to parliamentary elections. An election that many see as a vote of confidence for the regime after Iran was shaken by demonstrations in the fall.

- It has had a very negative impact on the desire to go and vote, I know people who do not want to vote because of what has happened, says Matin Pouyandeh in Tehran to SVT News.

Candidates are prevented

It is not only the violent demonstrations in the autumn that affect voter participation in Iran. There is also disappointment that so many candidates have been barred from running for election.

The Guardian Council in Iran has stopped more than 7,200 candidates from running for election. Most who are disqualified are reform-oriented politicians who want to open up Iran to the outside world.

First choice since the sanctions

The parliamentary election is the first since US President Donald Trump signed the International Nuclear Energy Agreement with Iran and reversed harsh economic sanctions on the country.