My analysis of the situation appears in Iran follows, and it is not much unlike the grind of US elections.
The "powers that be" select candidates, in one form or another, Iran has a constitution much like the US. The "Supreme Leader" is (supposedly) a post to make sure that all policies respect Islam. However, that gives the Supreme leader almost absolute power as every decision is up to his discretion.
Now put yourself born into such a system, as most of these < 30 years old are. You know the government isn't what you want but it has some rules and processes in place. Just like the US, most people on here don't agree with life-long welfare, doesn't think it fits with the capitalist system, but we still "deal with it anyway".
Let us make a US analogue of the system.
I also don't want to pick sides, so I will choose candidate A and candidate B. They are both pro-big government with more or less the same position (if this is too abstract, think last election, it was between a liberal and a liberal-lite). Suppose candidate A was the incumbent, the country was in dire financial straights ( > 30% unemployment, as is the case in Iran), and his promises of prosperity were only realized by the underclass, to whom he shared oil wealth (but not among the middle and upper class) while he constantly reduced your country's international standing.
Election time comes and everyone is excited to vote for candidate B, because, like in this country, it is always a choice between the lesser of two evils.
The election is clearly rigged, and in accordance with the constitution (and Islam..), you protest peacefully in D.C. One day, the Supreme Court Cheif Justice comes out and says, "We know the election is was rigged. We don't care, go home, and don't comeback unless you want to be messed up".
Now you protest -- why do you protest? You don't protest because you are in love with candidate B, you protest because they violated the system. The system is, they (=the establishment/parties/ect) pick a few guys, and you pick from those men -- just like in the US.
However, you then get shot while protesting, under the orders of the chief justice. Done, over, there used to be an illusion of rights -- and that illusion is gone. All protesting from this point has nothing to do with candidate B anymore, it has to do with (re)obtaining basic rights. You'd want that chief justice gone and candidate B sworn-in. None of it because you wanted candidate B, but because that is your system and you want it restored.
It appears what we have in Iran right now is, an underclass loyal to the supreme leader and the current president, after being bought off with oil revenue (= also the Basij, IRG). Economically disenfranchised upper/middle class with an over-educated and under-privileged class of females loyal to their rights.
I hope that Iran gets its way. It may not be our system, it may not even be a good system, but some system is better than no system.
