Thousands of Iranians in exile protest in Berlin against "sham" presidential election
Some thousands of Iranian oppositionists and their supporters have demonstrated in Berlin against the Iranian leadership and the "sham" presidential elections. "This election is a total failure and shows that the regime has no legitimacy," said the German spokesperson of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Javad Dabirian. "The Iranians do not want this regime."
The National Council of Resistance of Iran is one of the largest Iranian opposition groups in exile. It is the political wing of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, which is designated as "terrorist" in Iran and has been banned there since 1981.
"This regime kills people every day," said an Iranian demonstrator who claimed to be coming from the USA and refused to give her name. Many participants waved the flag of the Resistance Council. The chairwoman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Maryam Rajavi, who was connected via video conference from France, said in a video conference that the boycott of the elections was a "slap in the face" for the Iranian rulers. The participation, which according to Iranian authorities was around 40%, was actually much lower.
The reform candidate Massud Rajavifard came in first place in the presidential election on Friday, according to official figures, with 42.4% of the votes. Hardliner Said Jalili came in second place with 38.6%. The two candidates running for the succession of the deceased President Ebrahim Raisi will face each other in a runoff on the coming Friday.
- Despite the Iranian authorities claiming a participation of around 40% in the recent presidential election, the actual turnout was significantly lower, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an Iranian opposition group in exile based in Berlin.
- The Iranian exile, Javad Dabirian, the German spokesperson of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, strongly criticized the "sham presidential election" in Iran, stating that it underscores the regime's lack of legitimacy.
- Thousands of Iranian oppositionists and their supporters gathered in Berlin, waving the flag of the Resistance Council, to protest against the Iranian leadership and the perceived fraud in the "sham presidential election," expressing their desire for change and democratization in Iran.
