Iran starts parliamentary elections
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E-mail Xinhua, March 2, 2012
The Iranian parliamentary elections began on Friday morning with some 48 million eligible voters to choose members of the 290-seat parliament.
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Two Iranian women are waiting for the bus. Election posters can be seen on the wall behind them. |
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot shortly after the voting started and called on Iranians to actively vote in the elections.
"The bigger turnout, the better for the country and for the future of the country," said Khamenei.
He stressed the importance of the parliamentary elections, saying participation of Iranians in the polling will have "messages both for the enemies of Iran and for its friends."
The enemies of the country who "have been defeated and have been delivered a blow" are making remarks against the elections and repeating the same issues like sanctions, human rights and threats, he said.
However, Iran is at an advantage position and can do better both in words and in practice, he added.
Over the past months, Iranian authorities have incessantly called on the Iranian people for a mass turnout in the elections as a way to show their support to the nation amid Western isolation and threat.
Highlighting the significance of a high voter turnout, Khamenei said on Wednesday that the Iranian nation would display its firm determination to triumph over enemies of the country.
In January, Khamenei had asked the Iranian people to actively poll in the elections, saying the enemies of the country were trying to discourage people from voting.
Iran held its previous parliamentary elections in March, 2008, when authorities approved about 4,500 candidates to compete for the 290-seat legislature and barred over 1,700 others, who were regarded as not "loyal" enough to Islamic values and the Islamic revolution.
Iran's conservatives who generally supported the country's Islamic establishments and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won an absolute majority of seats during the 2008 elections, while reformists who wanted better relations with the West won far fewer seats.
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