“A strong Iran without a strong parliament is an unattainable dream,” Shamkhani said on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
“In a religious democracy, political participation is the only way to create a strong parliament,” he wrote, adding that any Iranian who wants a strong Iran should participate in the elections.
Election campaigns officially began in Iran at 00:00 Thursday and will last until the end of Wednesday.
The nationwide votes for the parliament and the midterm election of the Assembly of Experts will be held simultaneously on Friday, February 21.
The campaigns for the Assembly of Experts midterm election had already begun on February 6.
A total of 7,148 candidates, including dozens of Iranians from the religious minorities, are running for the parliament. There are 290 seats in the parliament up for grabs.
In capital Tehran, 1,453 candidates are contesting one of the 30 allocated seats on the legislature.
The lawmakers are elected for a 4-year term, with no limitation for the incumbent or former parliamentarians to run again.