On Friday, the mullahs' regime held a so-called "Islamic Councils" election.

So extensive was the publics' apathy to appeals from Khatami, Khamenei and others to vote that the state-run television channels were unable to show a single scene of a big turnout or of long lines in front of polling stations.

Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said: "The Iranian people's unity of action today again confirms unequivocally the illegitimacy of the clerical regime and all its factions. This is particularly the case since this time all candidates were ordered by Khatami to write "confessions" of loyalty to the principle of "velayat-e motlaqeh faqih" (absolute supremacy of clerical rule). In other words they trampled upon principles of democracy and the right of the Iranian people to a representative government.

Reports from many cities spoke of the presence of large contingents of the State Security Force and tight security control throughout these cities. Frequent clashes have been reported between the people and these forces as well as among regime's different factions. The following is excerpts from detailed reports by Mojahedin's Command Headquarter inside Iran.
 

Tehran - Only 11% of Eligible Voters Participate

The Interior Ministry's Deputy on Parliamentary and Legal affairs told IRNA on November 26 that the number of the eligible voters across the country was 43 million. On this basis, in the Greater Tehran area, 7.9 million people are eligible to vote. On site observations in Tehran's polling stations indicate that despite an added six hours to the voting period, the turnout was less than 900,000 (11.4%).
 

Western Iran:

Kurdistan Province - Reports say that the election was completely boycotted by the people in this province. In polling stations in the cities of Mahabad, Sanandaj, Boukan, Piranshahr and other cities in Kurdistan and western Azerbaijan provinces, only a handful of voters showed up.

Ilam - A large group of people staged a demonstration in the city's Sa'di square to protest against the elections sham.

Assad-Abad, Hamedan - Only relatives of candidates took part in the voting.
 

West Azerbaijan Province:

Orumieh (Capital) - The polling stations were empty. Only a few voters turned up at Koshtargah district's polling stations. In Hejrat and Imamat secondary schools as well as in Payam-e Nour University polling stations not even one person showed up to vote.

Salmas Shahr - There was no public participation in the elections. Local authorities brought in vehicles to forcibly take the people to vote. Polling station in Mossadeq elementary school was closed down. In Saheb-al Zaman stations only two people voted in several hours.

Abe-garm village - A man by the name of Farman began shouting slogans against the regime. A Revolutionary Guards member shot him from a rooftop, killing him instantly.
 

Central Iran:

Holy City of Qom - Very few people were in the polling stations.
Isfahan - The streets were empty. In the polling stations in Isfahan, authorities delay the voting to create long lines.

Shiraz (capital of the southern Fars province) - The polling station at Darvazeh Qassabkhaneh was set ablaze at 10:30 a.m. Polling stations no. 37 in Shokoufaye Omid, no.1 in Imam Hassan, no. 168 in Nemouneh Andisheh and 111 in Shahrestani elementary schools, indicate that a very limited number of people actually voted. Those who turned out were either from the military forces or relatives of the candidates. Many slogans calling for the election boycott were seen on the walls throughout the city.

Marand (East Azerbaijan province) - Most voters were students because the day before, the Islamic Association had ordered them to vote or they would be denied the chance to continue their education.

Zanjan (northwest Iran) - A number of candidates paid people to vote for them. In a polling station located in Montazeri seminary, the busiest station in the city, people went to vote for only one hour.

Golestan Province (northern Iran) - According to an internal report by the regional command of the para-military Bassij, residents of Hassan-Abad village have totally boycotted the elections.

Ardebil (capital of the northwestern province of Ardebil) - Rival factions resorted to buy the birth certificates of the impoverished people living in the city's periphery to vote for their own candidates.
 

Delaying Announcement of Election Results to Set the Stage for Vote Rigging

Mullahs' Interior Minister Abdolvahed Moussavi-Lari and the head of the councils' election headquarters announced that election results would be announced between one week to 10 days. Previously, the regime's media had quoted Interior Ministry officials as saying that the results would be known within 48 hours. The unusual delay in announcing the results comes as the regime had launched a propaganda blitz about utilizing a computerized system and an expeditious vote count. The delay is designed to rig the number of votes and increase the voter turnout in the elections.

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