Iranians vote in parliamentary, Assembly of Experts elections
Iranians headed to the polling stations across the country on Friday to vote in elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts.
More than 61 million people, out of Iran’s 85-million population, were eligible to choose 290 members of Parliament and 88 members of the Assembly of Experts.
A body with an eight-year mandate, the Assembly of Experts is in charge of overseeing the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and is in a position of authority to either appoint or dismiss the Leader.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballot at a polling station in Tehran in the first minutes of voting.
“Our dear nation should know that today the eyes of many people in the world, both individuals and politicians and those who hold prestigious national and political positions, are on Iran and you,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“They want to see what you are doing in this election and what will be the result of your election. Both our friends and people who are interested in the Iranian nation, as well as ill-wishers from all sides are observing the issues of our country and our beloved nation. Pay attention to this; make friends happy and disappoint ill-wishers.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who also voted in Tehran, hailed elections in the country as a national celebration and a symbol of unity.
“The people’s vote is decisive, [as] all sectors of the country are determined by the people’s vote, and this is one of the honors of the Islamic Establishment,” Raisi said.
Candidates for Parliament are vetted by the country’s Constitutional Council. It has approved a total of 15,200 candidates, out of nearly 49,000 applicants, to run for seats in Parliament.
A total of 144 candidates were also competing for the Assembly of Experts seats. Former president Hassan Rouhani, a current member of the assembly, was banned from standing again in the election for the Assembly of Experts.
The elections took place amid crippling international sanctions and mounting economic hardship in Iran, where inflation has hovered around 50 percent, and the rial has sharply declined against the dollar.
The problems had caused concerns among the country’s officials about the low participation of the people in the elections.
Before the elections, Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, had called on people to participate in the polls.
In a Wednesday meeting in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said if the Iranian nation shows the world that they are present in ‘decisive scenes,’ they will save the country and contribute to Iran’s progress.
“Strong and fervent elections constitute one of the pillars of running the country properly,” the Leader said. “If we can show the world that the nation is present in the country’s critical and decisive scenes, we have saved and moved the country forward.”
Iran’s last parliamentary elections in 2020 had a voter turnout of 42.57 percent – the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.