1953 Iranian parliamentary dissolution referendum


A referendum on the dissolution of Parliament, the first referendum ever held in Iran, was held in August 1953. The referendum was in direct contravention of the then Constitution of Iran which normally reserved the power to dissolve parliament to the Shah. The vote was boycotted by the opposition, including influential figures like Ayatollah Kashani. Prime Minister Mosaddegh justified it as "the will of the people is above law" to legitimize the dissolution of Parliament. The referendum was approved by more than 99% of voters, with the result being described as fraudulent.
Following the referendum, there were talks about another referendum to abolish the Pahlavi dynasty and make Iran a republic, however the government was overthrown by a coup d'état shortly after.

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Controversy

The balloting was not secret and there were two separate voting booths, i.e. the opponents of Mossadegh had to cast their vote in a separate tent. Voters were required to give name, address and the number and place of issuance of his identity card. Critics pointed that the referendum had ignored the democratic demand for secret ballots.
Officials at the voting booth in favor of the motion reportedly did not check identity cards or stamp voter's hands to indicate having submitted a ballot, leading to accusations of voter fraud. Voters at the booth against the motion were presented with intimidating signs such as “Only Traitors Vote for Non-Dissolution.”
Rural areas were also excluded from the ballot, under the argument it would take too long to count the votes from remote areas.

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