Iran's exiled prince calls for election boycott, foresees end to 'Mafia-like corruption'

In a renewed call for the boycott of presidential elections, Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi has emphasized that once the current establishment is ousted, the country will be free of “entrenched mafia-like corruption.”

Pahlavi stated Thursday on X that with the current authorities gone, "there will be a truly healthy open economy," and all forms of "gender, sexual, and religious discrimination" will be eliminated.

“I firmly believe this is achievable, and I am confident that the primary resources to accomplish it are largely within Iran, ready to fill this void swiftly,” Pahlavi said.

Pahlavi urged Iranians to "join the families of the martyrs of Iran's national revolution from December 2017 to November 2019 to the Mahsa uprising" and to stand by political prisoners from various backgrounds.

He warned against the clerical establishment's use of citizens' names and “votes to support terrorists and criminals in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen,” which “drags the region and the world into war and chaos.”

Furthermore, he highlighted the regime's misuse of national wealth and the rising costs of essentials like water, bread, and gasoline.

Pahlavi's call for an election boycott resonates with numerous other Iranian activists who have similarly boycotted Iran's presidential elections, making voter turnout a central theme of this campaign.