Alwaght- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has expressed gratitude to the Iranian nation for its large turnout in last Friday's elections.
In a Sunday statement, the Leader thanked the “aware and determined” nation, whose turnout at the polls displayed “the brilliant face of religious democracy to the world.”
“I consider it my responsibility to express my gratitude to this public response to the call made by the [country’s] Islamic establishment,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
In his statement, the Leader also urged the elected officials to adopt “austerity, honesty, regular attendance to the position of responsibility, preference for national interests over personal and factional demands, and gallant resistance against foreign meddling.”
“The very sensitive times of the present call for the vigilance, awareness, and conviction of everyone, especially you the authorities.” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“The country’s advancement is the essential goal,” the Leader said, asserting, however, that “superficial advancement without independence and national esteem is not acceptable.”
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that progress does not mean being subservient to the global arrogance adding that maintaining national identity and dignity is not possible unless through all-out and indigenous progress. The Leader noted that the next Parliament will have heavy responsibilities in regard to these issues and, "hopefully everyone will observe expected responsibility toward God and the people."
At least 33 million out of the 55 million eligible voters took part in Iran’s twin elections on Friday.
As many as 4,844 candidates, including about 500 women, were competing for a place in the 290-seat parliament. A total of 159 candidates ran for the 88-member Assembly of Experts. Members of the Assembly serve eight-year terms while MPs are elected every four years.
According to the latest results, the chairman of the Expediency Council and former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Mohammad Aqa Emami were at the top of Tehran’s list for the Assembly of Experts. They were followed by President Hassan Rouhani, a current member of the assembly, Mohsen Qomi, and Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader Mohammad Ali Movahhedi, as well as former attorney-general Qorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi.
Former vice president Mohammad Reza Aref is leading Tehran’s parliamentary list followed by Ali Motahhari, Alireza Mahjoub, Soheila Jelodarzadeh, and Elias Hazrati.
The Principlists have taken most of the seats across the nation while Moderates and Reformists achieved a landslide victory in the capital, Tehran.