Canada ‘Violated Rights of Iranians’ by Not Allowing Polling Booths – Interim Foreign Minister
Canada is under fire for not allowing Iranians to set up polling stations in the country, denying many the chance to exercise their voting rights in the recent presidential elections. Ali Bagheri Kani, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, criticized Canada for its actions. While polling stations were set up in other countries like Germany and the US, Canada took a different stance, refusing to grant permission for Iranian election activities within its borders.
Bagheri condemned Canada’s decision to label Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist entity,” accusing the country of supporting terrorist actions. This resulted in many Iranians being unable to cast their absentee ballots. As a result of Canada’s actions, diplomatic relations with Iran have been severed since 2012, leaving many Iranians in Canada without political representation.
The presidential election in Iran took an unexpected turn following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. A run-off between the top two candidates, Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Saeed Jalili, is scheduled for July 5 as no candidate secured more than 50% of the votes in the first round.