Survey reveals majority lack trust in Iran leadership

More than half of Iranians disapprove of their leadership, according to an opinion poll released before the country goes to the polls on Friday.

The parliamentary election is the first since uprisings after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. Ms Amini, 22, died after being detained by the morality police in Tehran for wearing her hijab “improperly”.

While nationwide protests were violently suppressed – with rights groups reporting hundreds of people killed by security forces – widespread discontent remains over the state of the economy, tensions with the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme and Iran’s support for Russia in Ukraine.

The Gallup poll found that 52 per cent of Iranians disapprove of their country’s leadership, while 43 per cent approve. Dissatisfaction was highest among Iranians under the age of 30 – with 61 per cent saying they disapproved of the country’s leadership, Gallup said.

Data from last year also showed that 26 per cent of Iranians would like to move permanently to another country, more than double the figure in 2014, when 12 per cent said they wanted to leave.

More than 43 per cent of Iranians aged 15 to 29 said they would like to move abroad.

Iranians pay higher food prices compared to neighbouring countries due to an inflation rate that has stayed above 40 per cent for several years.

This economic challenge persists as the nation faces sustained pressure from sanctions led by the US.

Gallup reported that, due to high inflation straining household finances, 61 per cent of respondents expressed difficulty or extreme difficulty in managing their current incomes – marking the highest level since the organisation began surveying Iran.

After a record-low voter turnout in the 2021 presidential election, officials have urged Iranians to vote on Friday.

Unlike previous elections, no information has been released by the state-run Iranian Students Polling Agency about the expected turnout.

More than 15,000 candidates are competing for seats in the 290-member Islamic Consultative Assembly, with terms spanning four years. Five seats are designated for Iran’s religious minorities.

Under the law, the parliament holds authority over the executive branch, participating in treaty voting and addressing various matters.

However, in reality, supreme authority in Iran lies with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader.

“Iran heads into its latest vote facing numerous pressures, internal and external,” said Benedict Vigers and Julie Ray, authors of the Gallup survey.

“While it suppressed the popular uprising of 2022 after Amini’s death, Iran’s leadership continues to receive higher disapproval than approval – notably lower than its close trading partner, China, does.”

Hardliners have controlled the parliament for the past two decades, with chants of “Death to America” often heard.

Under parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general, the legislature pushed forward a bill in 2020 that greatly curtailed Tehran’s co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

More recently, the assembly has focused on enforcing the compulsory wearing of the hijab. This came into focus with the death of Ms Amini, with some female demonstrators removing their headscarves.

The Gallup survey found dissatisfaction highest among under 30s – with 61 per cent disapproving of the country’s leadership