The leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic Sayyed Ali Khamenei urged on Wednesday the Iranian people to participate in the presidential runoff election on July 5.

"Those who are fond of Islam and the Islamic Republic and the country’s progress should express this issue through their participation in the elections," Sayyed Khamenei indicated.

At the same time, the Iranian leader pointed out that "supposing that the people who did not vote in the first round (of the presidential election) are opposed to the establishment is a totally wrong interpretation."

He emphasized that the people are the backbone of the Islamic Republic in achieving its goals, explaining that a higher voter turnout will enable the country to realize its objectives.

The presidential election in Iran is headed for a runoff after the results on June 28 showed no candidate securing over 50% of the votes. The two leading candidates, Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, will compete in the runoff on Friday to succeed the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash on May 19.

A total of 24,535,185 votes were cast in the first round of the election, representing a turnout of 39.92%, with over 61,452,000 eligible voters.

Read more: Jalili, Pezeshkian discuss politics and culture in runoff debate