Iranians are participating in the voting process for the country's Parliament (Majlis) and Assembly of Experts. Polls commenced nationwide at 8 a.m local time on Friday, with over 61 million eligible voters. Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei exercised his voting right at a Tehran polling station within the initial minutes of the voting period.

Following the voting, he said, “We ask the Almighty God to make today a happy day for the Iranian nation and that the results of the efforts of our dear people and those involved in the various issues of the elections may reach the desired results and benefit the Iranian nation." 

“Our dear nation should know that today the eyes of many people in the world, both individuals and politicians and those who hold prestigious national and political positions, are on Iran and you," he added.

In his remarks, the Iranian leader emphasized that both Iran's allies and those interested in the Iranian nation, as well as adversaries, are keen to observe the actions of the Iranian people in this election and anticipate the outcome.

🔴 Minutes ago: The Leader of the Revolution entering the Imam Khomeini (ra) Hussainiyah to participate in the Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, March 1, 2024. pic.twitter.com/97cfXXobo1

— Khamenei Media (@Khamenei_m) March 1, 2024

Fervent elections 'fundamental for proper governance'

The Leader reiterated his advice to voters from previous elections, urging them to go to the polls and cast their votes as early as they can.
 
"The second recommendation is to vote for as many people as you need, not fewer, in any constituency. For example, in Tehran, vote for 30 people in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and for 16 people in the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership," he added.

In the same context, Khamenei emphasized that “strong and fervent" elections are fundamental for the proper governance of the country.

“If we can show the world that the nation is present in the country’s critical and decisive scenes, we have saved and moved the country forward,” he added.

Sayyed Khamenei conveyed these sentiments during a meeting on Wednesday with a group of families of Iranian martyrs and first-time voters ahead of the country's elections for the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) and the Assembly of Experts on March 1.
 
Highlighting the apathy of some individuals toward the elections, Sayyed Khamenei mentioned, “I am not accusing anyone, but I remind all that we should look at the elections from the perspective of national interests, not from the viewpoints of factions and groups.”

"Anyone who loves Iran, their nation, and security should know that if the elections are poorly held, no one will benefit and everyone will be hurt,” he further stated. 

What is the Assembly of Experts?

The people of every Iranian province elect their own representative in the Assembly through a direct popular vote. In case the province's population exceeds 1 million people, the latter gets to elect an extra representative for every 500,000 people.

The Assembly of Experts, initially founded in 1983, is constituted of a leadership council, a general secretariat, an investigative council, and special committees. Its total number of members amounts to 88, each elected for a term of 8 years. 

On November 5 last year, it became viable to submit candidacy applications in which 144 out of 501 applicants had their applications approved by the Guardian Council.

The Guardian Council, formed of 12 members, votes on the eligibility of the election candidates before the popular electoral vote.

Ever since the Assembly of Experts was founded, several prominent figures have chaired it in chronological order, Hussein-Ali Montazeri, Mohammad Beheshti, and Ali Meshkini, who was elected for three consecutive terms. Following the latter, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, Mahmoud al-Hashemi Shahroudi, Muhammad Yazdi, and Ahmad Jannati who serves as the current chair of the Assembly, chaired the assembly.

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