Al-Monitor - After a week of lackluster campaigning, Iran held a parliamentary vote Feb. 21, with the country's leadership issuing persistent calls for maximum participation. State media extensively covered what they described as a �passionate presence� by the public, an account disputed by ordinary citizens on social media, who posted images of what they said was evidence of low turnout.

According to Iran�s Interior Ministry, nearly 58 million out Iran's population of 83 million were eligible to elect some 290 lawmakers for the legislative body. The vote was preceded by a contentious removal of Reformist nominees allied with moderate President Hassan Rouhani. The purge by the hard-line Guardian Council had already triggered warnings from the pro-Rouhani camp about voter apathy.

�Had the prominent personalities been given the chance to compete, the turnout would have undoubtedly been higher,� said senior pro-Rouhani parliamentarian Ali Motahari after voting in the capital Tehran. Despite being disqualified, Motahari and other top Reformists refrained from encouraging a boycott.

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