Electoral Behavior of Iranians and the Factors of the Reduction of Electoral Participation During the Corona Pandemic (2020–2021)

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has had different effects on election participation. Participation in the parliamentary (2020) and presidential (2021) elections under the pandemic has declined significantly compared to the last four decades. Contrary to popular belief, the findings show that this declined has been caused by causal conditions (economic downturn and government’s inefficiency), contextual conditions (economic war and sanctions), and interventional conditions, and COVID-19 pandemic has played an only contextual role. Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, Iranians were dissatisfied with the current situation, mainly internal rather than external, due to the disruption of the economy and living conditions. Therefore, election participation during the pandemic was a good opportunity to show the magnitude of the dissatisfaction. It can be said that the role of economic factors and the government’s inefficiency in discouraging election participation in Iran has been more than political, social, and health factors.