Leader votes in Majlis runoff elections

04 May 2012 | 16:02 Code : 1900798 Latest Headlines

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has cast his ballot in the Majlis (parliament) run-off elections as the second round of the vote officially starts in the Iranian capital of Tehran and many other cities.


Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday described elections as very significant and said the second round of the Majlis vote is as serious as the first round.

The Leader called on the Iranian nation to fulfill its duty and carry out the great and important task of voting.

The more votes the Iranian people cast, the more confidence the lawmakers will gain and that will enable them to do their job better, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.

Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Assembly of Experts Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani and Secretary of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati have also cast their votes in the run-off elections so far.

The runoff elections are being held in 33 constituencies across the country with 130 candidates from different political factions competing for the remaining 65 seats of the 290-member legislative body.

The first round of the elections was held on March 2 with around 67 percent of some 48 million eligible voters taking part in the event.

A total of 225 candidates succeeded in securing the required majority of votes to win their way into the Majlis in the first round.

Principlist candidates have already secured a majority in the Majlis by wining at least 180 seats in the first round.