Iran: Pensioners Protest Across Nation, Say They ‘Won’t Vote’ In Upcoming Election

Iranian pensioners held organized protests in over 15 cities across Iran Sunday to demand higher pensions, while announcing they would not take part in the upcoming presidential elections in Iran.

Protesters chanted “We’ve heard too many lies and won’t vote!”, “We have no support and won’t vote!”, “We have seen no justice and won’t vote!”

The state-run ILNA News Agency wrote that retired workers chanted “4 million toman pensions is not enough when the poverty line is 10 million tomans”.

Pensioners gathered outside the Social Security Organization buildings in Tehran, Karaj near the capital, Arak southwest of Tehran, Tabriz, Ardabil, and Qazvin in northwestern Iran, the northern cities of Sari, Rasht, and Gorgan, Neyshabur and Mashhad in northeastern Iran, Isfahan in central Iran, Hafttapeh, Shushtar, Shush, Ahvaz and Shiraz in southwestern Iran, Kerman in southeastern Iran, and the western cities of Khorramabad, and Ilam.

Since December 2020, pensioners have held several organized nationwide gatherings on a weekly basis. Previous protests were held on January 26, January 10, January 3 ,  February 14, February 21, and March 7.

Iranian pensioners demanded higher wages, healthcare, and better livelihood conditions. Pensioners are angry because of the huge difference between their pensions and the poverty line, despite having spent 30-50 years of their lives in the work force. Their current wages are about a fourth of the current poverty line in Iran.