STATEMENT NO. 1
IRAN - ELECTION SHAM
- Polling stations are deserted as people ignore election sham

Reports from hundreds of polling stations in Tehran and other cities until noon, (local time), four hours after the start of voting, indicate that despite clerical regime's propaganda and schemes, nearly all of them are deserted and the Assembly of Experts election has been boycotted by the vast majority of the Iranian people.

The boycott comes despite the fact that all of the regime's leaders, including Khamenei, Khatami and Rafsanjani repeatedly called on the Iranian people to vote.

In a message to the Iranian people, the Resistance's Leader Massoud Rajavi had previously stressed that the Assembly of Experts was the essence of the religious dictatorship and the embodiment of usurping the right of the Iranian people to sovereignty. Mr. Rajavi had expressed confidence that the people of Iran will completely boycott this election farce.

Reports from polling stations in different parts of Tehran, including those in Vali-Asr, Kalantari and Fatemi squares, Vali Asr and Enghelab streets, the Bazaar, and Namazi and Zeinab high schools indicate that so far in many of them the number of voters until noon did not exceed five people.

Reports from other provinces, including East Azerbaijan, Khuzistan, Fars, Isfahan, Khorassan, Mazandaran and Gilan show that the situation is the same. In polling stations in Mohammadieh, Mahaleh-Andaz, Masjid Moslem, Shahrdari, Samad-Abad and Nasr, and Beheshti and Enghelab streets Fotouhi and Raja'i highschools, as well as Khajeh Nassir intersection in the city of Maragheh (East Azerbaijan); Sharif-ol-Ulema, Imamzadej Yahya and Masjid Jame' and Jomhouri street in the city of Sari (Mazandaran province); Masjid Abolfazl and Kian in the city of Ahwaz (Khuzistan); Mo'alem and Far'i streets in the city of Rasht (Gilan province); Akhtar and Moshir Fatemi in Shiraz (Fars province); Taleqani, Kaveh, and Sheikh-Baha streets and Shohada square in Isfahan, the number of voters did not exceed a few people.

The Interior Ministry announced that at least 120,000 personnel of the State Security Force have been deployed and 35 security headquarters in 28 provinces are set up to "ensure security" during the elections. In addition, since several days ago, thousands of Guards, members of the para-military Bassij force and Intelligence Ministry agents have also been deployed to prevent the outbreak of any protests. In many polling stations, the number of Guards, members of security organs and the State Security Force exceeds the number of voters.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 23, 1998

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