Call for the active boycott of presidential elections

Statement by three secular Democratic Republican parties and organization:

Call for the active boycott of presidential elections

Free and fair elections the necessity for the transition to democracy

To the freedom loving people of Iran!

The 13th presidential election will take place in a situation where the Islamic Republic has restricted your right to vote more than ever. It has tightened control over the ballot boxes and deprived the election of its true meaning. IRA has made it even more difficult to participate and be elected within the government's fractions. On the other hand, our country is facing several crises and needs solutions in this critical situation and to get out of the deadlock. The main and fundamental factor of all problems is the power structure of the Islamic Republic. Today, the people do not have the right to freely choose the government officials. Instead, they must select from the list of the individuals proven by supreme leader's appointed institution such as the 'Guardian Council'. The leaders of the Islamic Republic rule only by relying on repression and imprisonment and due to the incompetence and inefficiency of the rulers and the current wide-spread corruption, the country's economy has become bankrupt; People's purchasing power has plummeted; Inflation rates are rampant; Unemployment has risen and general poverty has widened; Relations with neighboring countries have soured; International sanctions are still in place; Relationships with the outside world are tense; Our country is in complete isolation internationally. However, the rulers of the Islamic Republic instead of appealing to the people, giving in to their true choices, accepting the necessary changes and creating solutions to get out of all these troubles will once again drag you to the ballot boxes of another fake election in which there is no choice for you. The rulers do not value ​​your vote and this has been the story over the past few decades. The institutions under the command of the Supreme Leader are preparing for the election of a President who will move along the same lines that the current parliament is pacing; A President who will be unconditionally subordinate to the Supreme Leader and the corrupt centers of power around him. Under these circumstances, some of the reformists, continuing their conservative and compromising approach towards the Supreme leader's stance and despite of all problems created by the performance of Hassan Rouhani's government, are thinking of participating in the elections and keeping the election atmosphere alive.

Our country needs the freedom of elections, the transfer of power to the winner of the elections and the seizure of power by the real elected people with a plan to change the political structure in order to transition to democracy and getting out of the calamities and crises that surround us. The first condition for this is having respect for the rights and freedom of the people, the provision of conditions for free elections, the release of political prisoners, the freedom of activity for opposition parties, freedom of information, and the holding of elections under the supervision of a trusted body by Iranian people.

The experience of the past decades and the efforts of a large part of Iranians to influence the performance of the government and to impose changes from within and through a different choice from what the main center of power sought, has shown that the center of power in the Islamic Republic, the Supreme Leader, in spite of the people's vote stifles any attempt to reform and change. While abusing your vote and claiming legitimacy, it does not pay the slightest attention to your demands. The government does not tolerate a change of balance in favor of the people and civil society and when it feels threatened, the regime will resort to violent and coercive repression. In addition, the elected people by you are more committed to the Supreme Leader and obedience to him than to the will of the voters. In the confrontation between elected and appointed institutions within the government over the past two decades, the latter has gained more power day by day to the extent that today all efforts are made to turn the presidential election into another appointment by the Supreme Leader.

It is no secret that the protests of the people in November 2019 and January 2018 were also from the point of view of expressing the growing disappointment of different social groups and groups that the situation in the country could change through the relocation of agents and officials. Although the government succeeded in suppressing the protests and the Covid - 19 outbreak has made it impossible for protesters to come to the streets, the uprisings have not disappeared forever. They are rooted in the depths of the society and will undoubtedly, they will emerge stronger than before. The need for change in the current situation remains alive. The experience of the 11th parliamentary elections showed that participation in the elections in the Islamic Republic has reached to its lowest points.

We, the three secular Republican parties and organizations, call on the people of Iran to actively boycott the presidential elections. We call on all liberal and democratic political forces to come to a common and united stand against the government's plan to hold another fake election. We believe that the active boycott of the parliamentary elections will thwart the government's efforts to use the people's vote to legitimize its policies. By boycotting the elections, declare your protest against inefficiency, corruption, recession, inflation, unemployment, growing poverty, oppression and repression, and intensify the struggle against the Islamic Republic by leaving the polls empty.

By announcing our readiness to take joint action in the widespread boycott of this election, we call on all our compatriots inside and outside the country to resonate the fake elections in any way they can. The active boycott of the presidential election is a favorable opportunity for the joint and wide-ranging stand of all Republican and Democratic forces to strengthen the democratic movement in Iran. It is absolutely necessary to invite and encourage everyone to hold rallies, make extensive use of mass communication networks, distribute leaflets, and to call for free elections in order to transition to democracy. The country should be trusted in the hands of truly elected agents by people. By doing these, we defeat the Islamic Republic's efforts to legitimize itself through fake elections.

Executive Political Boards ofÖ

The Union of Republicans of Iran

Left Party of Iran (People's Fadaian)

Solidarity of the Republicans of Iran

April 4, 2021