Voting Begins in Iran’s Parliamentary, Assembly of Experts Elections

Polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. (0430 GMT). The voting is due to continue for at least 10 hours, according to Head of the Iranian Interior Ministry’s Election Headquarters Mohammad Hossein Moqimi.

If necessary, Moqimi noted on Thursday, the voting hours can be extended with the approval of the interior minister.

The official said some 54.9 million Iranians are eligible to cast their votes in the two elections.

He said as many as 4,844 candidates, including about 500 women, are competing for a place in the parliament.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts candidates’ week-long campaigns officially ended at 8 a.m. on Thursday, 24 hours before the beginning of the votes.

Iranian officials have in recent weeks reiterated the importance of the elections and called for massive turnout in the polls.

In an address to a group of Iranian people on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined the significance of going to the polls, saying that it would display people’s power despite different kinds of pressures, cruel sanctions, and mischievous propaganda against Iran.

The Leader also assured that the Iranian nation will be the ultimate winner despite all the efforts made by the enemy.

The results of upcoming elections, whatever they are, would be to the benefit of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said, stressing that whether the Iranian people make good or bad choices, the outcome would go back to themselves, so they had better make a good choice.

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

The Assembly of Experts is also a high-ranking body that elects and oversees the activities of the leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Members of the assembly are directly elected to office by people for an eight-year term. It holds biannual meetings to appoint a new chairman.