1953 Iranian parliamentary dissolution referendum
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Dissolution or Continuation of the 17th National Consultative Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||
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A referendum on the dissolution of Parliament, the first referendum ever held in Iran, was held in August 1953. The dissolution was approved by more than 99% of voters.
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.[1][2]
Timeline
- 12 July: PM Mohammad Mosaddegh openly announced his intention to hold the referendum,[3] asking people to either choose between his government or the 17th Parliament.[4]
- 14 July: The decision to held the referendum was approved by the cabinet.[3]
- 3 August: Referendum held in Tehran.[4]
- 10 August: Referendum held in other cities.[4]
- 13 August: The official results of the polls were declared by the interior ministry.[3]
- 16 August: Mosaddegh officially announced the dissolution of the parliament.[5]
- 19 August: The government was overthrown in a coup d'état.[3]
Campaign
| Position | Organization | Ref |
|---|---|---|
Yes
|
Iran Party | [2] |
| Iranian People Party | [2] | |
| Tudeh Party | [2] | |
| Pan-Iranist Party | [2] | |
| Nation Party | [2] | |
| Third Force | [6] | |
Boycott
|
Toilers Party | [2] |
| Muslim Warriors | [2] |
Conduct
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.[7][1] Critics pointed that the referendum had ignored the democratic demand for secret ballots.[8]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 2,043,389 | 99.94 |
| Against | 1,207 | 0.06 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 4 | – |
| Total | 2,044,600 | 100 |
| Source: Direct Demoracy | ||
By city
| City | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Tehran[9] | 101,396 | 67 |
| Tabriz[10] | 41,502 | 3 |
| Isfahan[10] | 43,505 | 11 |
| Ahvaz[10] | 22,771 | 2 |
| Mashhad[10] | 26,547 | 9 |
Reactions
Domestic
- Ayatollah Kashani said taking part in such a referendum is haraam (religiously prohibited). However, Ayatollah Boroujerdi supported the referendum.[4]
- Mohammad Reza Shah declared the results "fraudulant".[4]
International
United States: On 5 August 1953, the U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, speaking to a gathering of state governors in Seattle, criticized Mosaddegh for the decision and specified, that it had been supported by the communist party. A editorial published by The New York Times on 4 August characterized the exercise as "More fantastic and farcical than any ever held under Hitler or Stalin", and an effort by Mosaddegh "to make himself unchallenged dictator of the country".[11]
References
- ^ a b Elton L. Daniel (2012). The History of Iran. ABC-CLIO. p. 154. ISBN 0313375097.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Siavush Randjbar-Daemi (2017). ""Down with the Monarchy": Iran's Republican Moment of August 1953". Iranian Studies. 50 (2). Routledge: 293–313. doi:10.1080/00210862.2016.1229120 – via Taylor and Francis Online (subscription required).
- ^ a b c d Rahnema, Ali (2014), Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran: Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks, Cambridge University Press, p. 287, ISBN 1107076064
- ^ a b c d e Ebrahimi, Mansoureh (2016). "Dr. Mosaddeq's pre-emptive Measures". The British Role in Iranian Domestic Politics (1951-1953). SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Peace. Vol. 5. Springer. p. 95–97. ISBN 9783319310985.
- ^ Bayandor, Darioush (2010). Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-230-57927-9.
- ^ Katouzian, Homa (2013). Iran: Politics, History and Literature. Routledge. p. 84. ISBN 9780415636896.
- ^ Majd, Mohammad Gholi (2000), Resistance to the Shah: Landowners and Ulama in Iran, University Press of Florida, pp. 260–261, ISBN 978-0813017310
- ^ Milani, Abbas (2008). Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979. Vol. 1. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. p. 243. ISBN 0815609078.
- ^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. p. 274. ISBN 0-691-10134-5.
- ^ a b c d Mervyn Roberts (2012). "Analysis of Radio Propaganda in the 1953 Iran Coup". Iranian Studies. 45 (6). Routledge: 759–777. doi:10.1080/00210862.2012.726848 – via Taylor and Francis Online (subscription required).
- ^ Bayandor, Darioush (2010). Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-230-57927-9.
