Sayyed Khamenei casts vote as Iran's run-off elections kick off

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 May 2024 12:57

Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology says the electronic voting machines are operating flawlessly.

Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei arrives to vote for the parliamentary runoff elections, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP)

Iran leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei cast his vote Friday morning for the run-off of the 12th parliamentary elections, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.

The first round of the elections was held on March 1, with more than 61 million Iranians out of the nation's 87 million population eligible to head to the polls.

Sayyed Khamenei emphasized that the run-off parliamentary elections are as important as the first round, urging Iranians to cast their votes as they did in March.

"The more votes, the stronger the parliament is, and the stronger the parliament, the more opportunities to work in the country," he indicated.

Out of 15,000 candidates, voters were choosing 290 legislative body members who will serve for a four-year term in the Iranian parliament. Iranian media reported on March 2 that the turnout in the first round of elections reached over 40%.

Ninety candidates are competing for the 45 remaining seats in the Iranian Parliament during the run-off elections held in 22 constituencies where the candidates failed to secure more than 50% of votes on March 1. Electronic voting machines across 22 districts across 15 provinces are being used in the process.

The Iranian Parliament, known as the Majlis, comprises 290 seats elected directly by the people.

Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Issa Zarepour affirmed on Friday that the electronic voting machines utilized in the ongoing run-off parliamentary election are operating flawlessly.

The governor of Tehran mentioned that approximately 3,700 electronic voting machines are available in Tehran Province's polling stations, including 311 mobile voting machines deployed to hospitals, military bases, and university dormitories.