Cartoon by Shahrokh Heidari

Lies And Sham Elections Dominate On Iran’s Revolution Anniversary

Iran International: In the lead-up to the 45th anniversary of the 1979 revolution and the March 1 elections, Iranian officials have escalated their rhetoric, resorting to outrageous statements and unfounded claims.

This surge in exaggeration and falsehoods appears directly correlated with the regime's mounting desperation to achieve its short-term objectives. As the engineered parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections draw near, the regime has intensified its assertions of remarkable achievements, inflated claims of popularity reaching as high as 97 percent, and exaggerated portrayals of economic and scientific advancements.

Mass production of nonsense

During election season, an abundance of superlatives and claims of "firsts" flood the discourse:: Iran is the most independent country in the world, Iran is the first in the production of science, and Iran is the most important global power. Facing a serious economic crisis and lack of popularity, authorities are turning to such statements on a daily basis.

"Today, Iran is among the top 20 countries in the world in terms of economy, and according to statistics, the people of Iran today have good purchasing power," said the Interior Minister.

"More than 97 percent of the people accept the regime and the revolution and will never abandon it," said the Judiciary Minister.

"The people still adhere to the ideals of the regime and the revolution after 45 years," said the Sports Minister.

"Islamic Iran is the most independent country in the world and the whole world accepts this," said the Fars Province governor.

"The Islamic revolution after the Prophet's mission... was the most important event in the history of mankind... the enemies know that no country is as important as Iran," said the deputy commander of IRGC.

These are clear signs of self-aggrandizement, delusion, and living in a self-made bubble in these statements. According to a Goman Institute poll, in response to the question if a free referendum was held today with the inquiry "Islamic Republic: Yes or No?", %75 answered "No to the Islamic Republic" and only 16% said that their answer was positive.

These statements are indicative of self-aggrandizement, delusion, and a detachment from reality. According to a Gamaan Institute poll published on Sunday, when asked in a hypothetical free referendum whether they support the Islamic Republic, 75 percent of respondents answered "No," while only 16 percent expressed support for it.