1953 Iranian parliamentary dissolution referendum

1953 08 03 1953 08 10 y Imperial State of Iran 1933 Dissolution or Continuation of the 17th National Consultative Assembly 2,043,389 1,207 4 2,044,600 A referendum on the dissolution of Parliament, the first referendum ever held in Iran, was held in August 1953. The referendum was deemed by many to be contrary of the then Constitution of Iran, which reserved the power to dissolve parliament to the Shah. The vote was boycotted by the opposition, including influential figures like Ayatollah Kashani.Lovespecial Kennett 1953 Mossadegh Gets 99.9% of the Vote In Iran Plebiscite on Majlis Ouster The New York Times USA https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/04/archives/mossadegh-gets-999-of-the-vote-in-iran-plebiscite-on-majlis-ouster.html 19 January 2026 The proposal of the referendum was passed by more than 99% of the votes, a result that was described as fraudulent by several observers, both based on the methods of execution of the referendum and given the very high percentage of yes votes.Herter Christian IRAN: 99.93% Pure TIME USA LXII 2nd 1953 https://time.com/archive/6795622/iran-99-93-pure/ 19 January 2026 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. Timeline 12 July: PM Mohammad Mosaddegh openly announced his intention to hold the referendum,Rahnema Ali Ali Rahnema 2014 Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran: Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks Cambridge University Press 287 978-1107076068 asking people to either choose between his government or the 17th Parliament.Mansoureh Ebrahimi 2016 The British Role in Iranian Domestic Politics (1951-1953) Dr. Mosaddeq's pre-emptive Measures SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Peace Springer 5 95–97 9783319310985 14 July: The decision to hold the referendum was approved by the cabinet. 3 August: The referendum was held in Tehran. 10 August: The referendum was held in other cities. 13 August: The official results of the polls were declared by the interior ministry. 16 August: Mosaddegh officially announced the dissolution of the parliament.Darioush Bayandor 2010 Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited https://archive.org/details/iranciafallmosad00baya limited Palgrave Macmillan 215 978-0-230-57927-9 19 August: The government was overthrown in a coup d'état. Campaign Position Organization RefYesIran PartyIranian People PartyTudeh PartyPan-Iranist PartyNation PartyThird ForceKatouzian Homa 2013 Iran: Politics, History and Literature 84 Routledge 9780415636896 BoycottToilers PartyMuslim Warriors"Down with the Monarchy": Iran's Republican Moment of August 1953 Iranian Studies 50 2 2017 293–313 Siavush Randjbar-Daemi 10.1080/00210862.2016.1229120 10023/13868 free 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.Majd Mohammad Gholi Resistance to the Shah: Landowners and Ulama in Iran University Press of Florida 2000 260–261 978-0813017310Elton L. Daniel The History of Iran ABC-CLIO 154 2012 978-0313375095 Voters were required to give name, address and the number and place of issuance of his identity card.Lovespecial Kennett 1953 Mossadegh Gets 99.9% of the Vote In Iran Plebiscite on Majlis Ouster The New York Times USA https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/04/archives/mossadegh-gets-999-of-the-vote-in-iran-plebiscite-on-majlis-ouster.html 19 January 2026 Critics pointed that the referendum had ignored the democratic demand for secret ballots.Milani Abbas Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979 1 2008 Syracuse University Press Syracuse, N.Y. 978-0815609070 243 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.”Herter Christian IRAN: 99.93% Pure TIME USA LXII 2nd 1953 https://time.com/archive/6795622/iran-99-93-pure/ 19 January 2026 Rural areas were also excluded from the ballot, under the argument it would take too long to count the votes from remote areas.Koch Scott 2017 First published 1998 THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY AND THE FALL OF IRANIAN PRIME MINISTER MOHAMMED MOSSADEQ Central Intelligence Agency USA https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/the%20central%20intelligence%20%5B15369853%5D.pdf 19 January 2026 Results ChoiceVotes%For2,043,38999.94Against1,2070.06Invalid/blank votes4–Total2,044,600100Source: Direct Democracy By city CityYesNoTehranAbrahamian Ervand Ervand Abrahamian 1982 Iran Between Two Revolutions 978-0-691-10134-7 Princeton University Press 274 registration https://archive.org/details/iranbetweentwore00abra_0/page/274101,39667TabrizAnalysis of Radio Propaganda in the 1953 Iran Coup Iranian Studies 45 6 2012 759–777 Mervyn Roberts 10.1080/00210862.2012.726848 41,502 3Isfahan 43,505 11Ahvaz 22,771 2Mashhad 26,5479 Reactions Domestic Ayatollah Kashani said taking part in such a referendum is haraam (religiously prohibited). However, Ayatollah Boroujerdi supported the referendum. Mohammad Reza Shah declared the results "fraudulent". 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. An 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".Darioush Bayandor 2010 Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited https://archive.org/details/iranciafallmosad00baya limited Palgrave Macmillan 89 978-0-230-57927-9 References Category:Referendums in Iran Parliamentary Iran Iran Category:17th Iranian Majlis Category:Mohammad Mosaddegh