The US does not expect Iran's June 28 presidential election to result in any "fundamental change" in the Islamic Republic's direction, the Biden administration's acting special envoy for Iran said.
"As the Iranian regime prepares for its presidential elections, the US unfortunately has no expectation of free and fair elections or fundamental change in Iran’s direction," Abram Paley said in a series of posts on his X account on Wednesday.
Paley stressed that the six candidates are hand-picked by the Guardian Council and that Iranian voters "lack access to even the most basic freedoms; necessary features of any democracy."
"In the face of the authoritarian regime’s long history of harassing and intimidating journalists, suppressing election coverage, and denying freedom of peaceful of assembly, we support the Iranian people," he said.
Paley also vowed that the US "will continue to defend human rights in Iran, shine a light on the regime’s repression, and support a free and democratic future."
As the Islamic Republic faces its greatest battle for legitimacy since its founding, a new survey shows at least 65 percent of the country will boycott the Friday's presidential election.
According to the survey conducted by the Netherlands-based Gamaan Institute, only 22% of respondents confirmed they would definitely vote, while 12% remain undecided.
The results of the survey highlight deep-seated dissatisfaction with the current political system, with roughly 68% of respondents citing "opposition to the overall system of the Islamic Republic" as their primary reason for not voting. Other notable reasons included "the limited power of the president" (18%) and the "disqualification of my preferred candidate" (8%).
