Iran holds run-off parliamentary polls, leader casts vote

REGION  10 May 2024 - 19:43

As the run-off parliamentary elections kicked off in Iran on Friday morning, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot a few minutes after the voting began at 8 am.

A total of 90 candidates are running for the 45 remaining seats in the Iranian Parliament in the run-off elections, held in 22 constituencies where the candidates had failed to receive an absolute majority (more than 50%) of votes during the first round held on March 1.

Ayatollah Khamenei cast his ballot at the Imam Khomeini Husseiniya of Tehran as soon as the voting began at 8 am local time, with enthusiastic journalists and photographers present at the site of the voting.

In comments after voting, the Leader said the process of election per se is a “fundamental and significant” issue for Iran and its people.

The elections illustrate the presence of people and their will and decision-making, the Leader stated, saying voting is the “national duty” of anybody willing to contribute to the country’s progress.

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that there is no difference between the main stage of the elections and the run-off polls, as they are equally important.

The Leader also called on all people to take part in the elections to fill the vacancies in the Parliament.

The more the votes are, the stronger the Parliament will be, and the stronger the Parliament is, there will more possibilities for action in the country, Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

The run-off elections are held with electronic voting machines in 22 districts across 15 provinces, including in Tehran, where 32 candidates run against each other.

The elections began at 8 am and will continue for 10 hours, but the voting period could be extended at the discretion of the interior minister.

The countrywide elections for the Parliament and the Assembly of Experts were held on March 1.

Around 61 million Iranian people were eligible to vote, including 3.5 million first-time voters.

The elections were held in around 60,000 polling stations across Iran.

There are currently 290 seats in the Iranian Parliament, known as Majlis, elected by direct vote of people in nationwide elections for four years.

Caliber.Az