West aims to discredit Iran polls through media psywar: Cmdr.

The commander of Iran’s volunteer Basij Force says Western media outlets have launched the heaviest psychological war in human history against Iran to discredit Friday’s elections.

Addressing a Thursday ceremony in Iran’s northern city of Amol, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said the fact that all the candidates resort to Islamic and revolutionary symbols to promote themselves indicates that the West’s massive psychological and propaganda campaign against the Iranian nation has failed.

The Iranian commander called for a high voter turnout in Friday’s presidential and city councils elections, saying, “By going to the ballot boxes in the Islamic Iran, [we] can increase bargaining power and international might [of the country] and render the sanctions [against Iran] ineffective.”

Opinion polls show that more than 60 percent of the nearly 50.5 million eligible voters will be taking part in the election.

The six candidates in Iran’s presidential election are President of the Expediency Council’s Center for Strategic Research Hassan Rohani, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.

Iranians will go to the polls in the nation’s 11th presidential election on Friday. Over 66,000 polling stations will be set up across the country, while expatriates will be also able to cast their ballots at 285 polling stations that will be set up overseas.

The fourth city and rural council elections are also scheduled to be held on the same day.