At the start of March polling stations for Iran's legislative elections opened, and yet, very few Iranians turned up. 


It was a record low turnout, with just 40.64 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot.


The low turnout reflected the discontent in the country, and the poor quality of candidates on offer. 


This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Iranian elections. Why was the turnout so low, and what does it mean for the regime’s legitimacy. How did the Iranian regime seek to control the elections, and how do the different branches help to support the control of the deep state. And also, what can the recent election tell us about the plan to choose a successor for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. 


Joining this week, we speak with Alex Vatanka (@AlexVatanka) the founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst), and Ali Vaez (@AliVaez), the Iran Project Director at International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup). 


Sign up to our newsletter here.


And subscribe to The New Arab Weekly on Apple and Spotify.


This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). 

Theme music by Omar al-Fil. 

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the start of March polling stations for Iran's legislative elections opened, and yet, very few Iranians turned up.&nbsp; It was a record low turnout, with just 40.64 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot. The low turnout reflected the discontent in the country, and the poor quality of candidates on offer.&nbsp; This week on The New Arab Voice, we look at the Iranian elections. Why was the turnout so low, and what does it mean for the regime’s legitimacy. How did the Iranian regime seek to control the elections, and how do the different branches help to support the control of the deep state. And also, what can the recent election tell us about the plan to choose a successor for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.&nbsp; Joining this week, we speak with Alex Vatanka (<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexVatanka" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@AlexVatanka</a>) the founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute (<a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastInst" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@MiddleEastInst</a>), and Ali Vaez (<a href="https://twitter.com/AliVaez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@AliVaez</a>), the Iran Project Director&nbsp;at International Crisis Group (<a href="https://twitter.com/CrisisGroup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@CrisisGroup</a>).&nbsp; Sign up to our newsletter <a href="https://www.newarab.com/newslettersubscriptions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. And subscribe to The New Arab Weekly on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-new-arab-weekly/id1735556411" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5iBcnMzKCFBQJa1u2RcVpv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (<a href="https://twitter.com/hugogoodridge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@hugogoodridge</a>).&nbsp;Theme music by Omar al-Fil.&nbsp;To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TNAPodcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@TNAPodcasts</a> or email <a href="mailto:podcast@newarab.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcast@newarab.com</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

A podcast from The New Arab, a leading English-language website based in London covering the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Arab and Muslim affairs around the world, bringing you news, culture, and lifestyle from these regions and beyond. Mirroring our diverse coverage, the podcast combines storytelling and news analysis to bring our listeners something familiar yet new. Visit our website for more quality journalism:  www.newarab.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A podcast from The New Arab, a leading English-language website based in London covering the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Arab and Muslim affairs around the world, bringing you news, culture, and lifestyle from these regions and beyond. Mirroring our diverse coverage, the podcast combines storytelling and news analysis to bring our listeners something familiar yet new. Visit our website for more quality journalism: www.newarab.com<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The New Arab Voice

A podcast from The New Arab, a leading English-language website based in London covering the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Arab and Muslim affairs around the world, bringing you news, culture, and lifestyle from these regions and beyond. Mirroring our diverse coverage, the podcast combines storytelling and news analysis to bring our listeners something familiar yet new. Visit our website for more quality journalism: www.newarab.com

 

A podcast from The New Arab, a leading English-language website based in London covering the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Arab and Muslim affairs around the world, bringing you news, culture, and lifestyle from these regions and beyond. Mirroring our diverse coverage, the podcast combines storytelling and news analysis to bring our listeners something familiar yet new. Visit our website for more quality journalism: www.newarab.com
&nbsp;