In a bid to facilitate voting for Iranians abroad, the consulate in Hyderabad has established a ballot box for eligible voters to participate in the fourteenth Iran presidential election. This comes following the tragic death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Consul General Mahdi Shahrokhi, speaking to ANI, confirmed that ballot boxes have been placed in four locations across India: New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. “We are conducting the fourteenth presidential election in Iran and in various cities globally, including three other ballot boxes in India,” Shahrokhi stated. “The election process began at 8 am and will continue until 6 pm. We are expecting participation from Iranians and those of Iranian descent residing here. However, not all Iranian residents in India are eligible to vote.”
Shahrokhi clarified that only those holding Iranian passports and full Iranian nationality can vote. “Iran has a democratic system where people decide their future through various elections, whether for parliament, city councils, or the presidency,” he explained.
The Iranian consulate noted that the Iranian community in Hyderabad is relatively small, comprising around 1,000 individuals. Shahrokhi emphasized that Iranians with Indian nationality, even if born in Iran, are not eligible to vote. “As mentioned, our community here is small, around 1,000 people. Due to different residential situations, the exact number is unclear. However, those with Indian nationality, despite their Iranian background, are not eligible to vote,” he reiterated.
An Iranian resident from Bangalore, Samayi Bisharati, shared her experience of traveling to Hyderabad to vote. Living in Bangalore with her Indian husband and children, Bisharati drove for over ten and a half hours to cast her vote. “My name is Samayi Bisharati. I live in Bangalore with my Indian husband and children. We drove over ten and a half hours to Hyderabad so I could cast my vote,” she told ANI. She added that this was her second time voting in India, with her first vote cast in Bangalore and now in Hyderabad.
“I have been voting since I was eligible. This is the fourteenth presidential election I am participating in. In the previous election, I voted while I was in Iran. This is my second election voting in India, the first being in Bangalore and now in Hyderabad,” Bisharati said.
The polls for Iran presidential election opened on Friday, following Raisi’s untimely death on May 19. A total of 58,640 polling stations have been set up across the country, including in public spaces such as mosques and schools. Notably, polling centers have also been established in the aforementioned Indian cities to accommodate Iranians living in India.
