Larijani Commends Iranians’ ‘Precious’ Turnout in Polls

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani praised the massive participation of people in Friday’s parliamentary and Assembly of Experts votes, saying that it further strengthened the Islamic Establishment.

“The precious participation of the great Iranian nation in the Assembly of Experts and parliamentary elections enhanced the power and grandeur of the country and Establishment,” Larijani said in a message on Saturday.

He described it as one of the victories made possible by the Islamic Revolution led by the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini.

According to the Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, some 33 million voters or more than 60 percent of eligible voters turned out in the twin crucial elections on Friday.

As vote counting is still underway in some constituencies, including Tehran, the voter turnout will be certainly higher, he said at a press conference on Saturday.

Rahmani Fazli said vote counting in 48 constituencies has ended, adding that the run-off parliamentary elections will be held for 13 constituencies.

Polling stations opened on Friday morning and were scheduled to close after 10 hours. But the higher-than-expected turnout convinced the Interior Ministry to extend the voting time three times.

Some 55 million Iranians were eligible to cast their ballots at around 53,000 polling stations across the country.

4,844 and 161 candidates have been running for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, respectively.

There are 290 seats in the Iranian parliament, elected by direct vote of people in nationwide election for four years.