The past few days have been terrible for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Feb. 21 parliamentary elections were boycotted by a majority of the population, with credible reports that just 19% of the population voted nationwide. The election was more tightly controlled by the regime than ever before, as the “reformist” faction of the regime was prevented from running most of its candidates by the Guardian Council, which chooses who may run in Iranian elections. But the public has also given up on the regime’s electoral charade — Iranians know that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard make all decisions and that Parliament is useless.