Of the four women, two voted and two did not. All four of them requested to be referred to only by their first names out of fear of reprisal either at their jobs or from family members.
Even Fatima, who voted for the most conservative candidate and seemed the most committed to the election, did not sound truly enthusiastic. For her, voting was a religious duty.
But, she added, if the reform candidate wins, “I will support him.”
Fatima found reassurance and stability in all the candidates being approved by Iran’s religious leadership, contrary to many Iranians, who saw such culling as a way of shutting down attempts to change Iran’s clergy-dominated system.
Sherveen, by contrast, said she had lost all faith in the government and, like a number of educated and skilled Iranians, was considering leaving Iran. She is thinking of going to Canada, although not quite yet — her son was in his last year of high school. Her daughter is already in Toronto, as are several of her siblings.
“We don’t trust anyone the government allows to run, unfortunately,” she said. “All of it is getting worse. It used to be better five or 10 years ago, but now we have less money, less liberties. Economy and liberty, those are the key.”
