Why so many Iranians plan not to vote this month + fireflies need the dark for love

Iranians are about to get the chance to vote for a new president on June 18. Hassan Rouhani, president since 2013, is stepping down after serving two terms in office. The frontrunner to succeed him is Ebrahim Raisi, an ultra-conservative and head of the judiciary. Getting information about how Iranians view their society and its political leaders is notoriously difficult. In this episode we speak to two academics in The Netherlands who take a different approach – anonymous online surveys. And they’re getting tens of thousands of people to participate.

Ammar Maleki, assistant professor in public law and governance at Tilburg University, and Pooyan Tamimi Arab, assistant professor of religious studies at Utrecht University recently carried out a new survey about voting intentions via the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran, a non-profit, independent research organisation. They found there's been a dramatic decline in those who intend to vote – and we talk to them about why, and what message this will send to the rulers of the Islamic Republic.

Our second story provides advice on how to ensure future generations continue to enjoy one of nature’s greatest wonders: fireflies. We talk to Avalon Owens, a PhD candidate in biology at Tufts University, about her new research into why fireflies need the dark in their search for love.

And Haley Lewis, culture and society editor at The Conversation in Ottawa, gives us some recommended reading about the 215 First Nations children found in a mass unmarked grave in British Columbia, Canada. 

The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl.

If you'd like to sign up for The Conversation's free daily newsletter, please subscribe here. To get in touch, find us on Twitter @TC_Audio or on Instagram at theconversationdotcom. Or you can email us on [email protected]. Full credits for this episode can be found here.

Further reading:

• Why Iranians won’t vote: new survey reveals massive political disenchantment, by Pooyan Tamimi Arab, Utrecht University and Ammar Maleki, Tilburg University
• Iran’s secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs, by Pooyan Tamimi Arab, Utrecht University and Ammar Maleki, Tilburg University
• Why the West must challenge Iran on human rights, by Kyle Matthews, Concordia University
• Iran’s leaders signal interest in new nuclear deal, but U.S. must act soon, by James Devine, Mount Allison University
• No longer ‘the disappeared’: Mourning the 215 children found in graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School, by Veldon Coburn, University of Ottawa
• Why many Canadians don’t seem to care about the lasting effects of residential schools, by Joanna R. Quinn, Western University
• Indigenous lawyer: Investigate discovery of 215 children’s graves in Kamloops as a crime against humanity, by Beverly Jacobs, University of Windsor
• Fireflies need dark nights for their summer light shows – here’s how you can help, by Avalon C.S. Owens and Sara Lewis, Tufts University