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Iran's billboard of the British Queen Elizabeth.
This garish poster of a camel dressed as the Queen conveys a central message of Iran’s election campaign.
Above the spectacle of a camel wearing a hat and silver crown is a resounding slogan: "England is yearning to meddle in the elections of Iran."
The poster is carefully positioned overlooking Ferdowsi Street in Tehran, a few blocks away from Britain's newly reopened embassy.
A supposed “British plot” has taken centre-stage in the elections happening on Friday. Iranians are voting in simultaneous polls for a new Majles, or parliament, and a new Assembly of Experts, a powerful body which appoints the Supreme Leader.
The basis for the talk of an alleged plot was a brief passage in an analysis published online by BBC Persian, the Farsi-language satellite channel. This suggested that three ultra-conservative Ayatollahs could lose their seats in the Assembly of Experts.
Hardliners chose to see this as proof of a plan to “meddle” in the election and defeat the three Ayatollahs. They used this to tarnish Iran’s reformist movement as supposed stooges of the British.
While casting his vote on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, stressed the dangers of outside interference.
“Iran has enemies - they are eyeing us greedily," he said. "Turnout in the elections should be so high to disappoint our enemies. People should be observant and vote with open eyes and should vote wisely."
President Hassan Rouhani, who also voted on Friday, struck a different note. He confined himself to urging Iranians to participate in large numbers. “Everyone will respect the votes of the majority of the people," he promised.
Mr Rouhani, a relatively moderate leader, hopes to weaken the grip of hardline conservatives on the parliament. An alliance of reformists and supporters of the president hopes to win a significant presence in the 290-seat assembly.
But about half of the 12,000 candidates who tried to run for parliament were banned from doing so by the Guardian Council, a powerful body which vets all contenders.
Reformists were disproportionately affected by this mass disqualification, reducing their chances of winning a large number of seats.
About 55 million Iranians are eligible to vote. One crucial test of the legitimacy of this election will be the level of turnout. The authorities are doing their utmost to encourage Iranians to vote, with state television devoting blanket coverage to the poll.
This garish poster of a camel dressed as the Queen conveys a central message of Iran’s election campaign.
Above the spectacle of a camel wearing a hat and silver crown is a resounding slogan: "England is yearning to meddle in the elections of Iran."
The poster is carefully positioned overlooking Ferdowsi Street in Tehran, a few blocks away from Britain's newly reopened embassy.
A supposed “British plot” has taken centre-stage in the elections happening on Friday. Iranians are voting in simultaneous polls for a new Majles, or parliament, and a new Assembly of Experts, a powerful body which appoints the Supreme Leader.
The basis for the talk of an alleged plot was a brief passage in an analysis published online by BBC Persian, the Farsi-language satellite channel. This suggested that three ultra-conservative Ayatollahs could lose their seats in the Assembly of Experts.
Hardliners chose to see this as proof of a plan to “meddle” in the election and defeat the three Ayatollahs. They used this to tarnish Iran’s reformist movement as supposed stooges of the British.
While casting his vote on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, stressed the dangers of outside interference.
“Iran has enemies - they are eyeing us greedily," he said. "Turnout in the elections should be so high to disappoint our enemies. People should be observant and vote with open eyes and should vote wisely."
President Hassan Rouhani, who also voted on Friday, struck a different note. He confined himself to urging Iranians to participate in large numbers. “Everyone will respect the votes of the majority of the people," he promised.
Mr Rouhani, a relatively moderate leader, hopes to weaken the grip of hardline conservatives on the parliament. An alliance of reformists and supporters of the president hopes to win a significant presence in the 290-seat assembly.
But about half of the 12,000 candidates who tried to run for parliament were banned from doing so by the Guardian Council, a powerful body which vets all contenders.
Reformists were disproportionately affected by this mass disqualification, reducing their chances of winning a large number of seats.
About 55 million Iranians are eligible to vote. One crucial test of the legitimacy of this election will be the level of turnout. The authorities are doing their utmost to encourage Iranians to vote, with state television devoting blanket coverage to the poll.
