In the opening hour of the voting, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his ballots at a polling station in downtown Tehran. The Supreme Leader attended the polling station No. 110 and casted his votes.
In a message to the nation, Ayatollah Khamenei called on all Iranians to participate in the elections, saying "voting is both a right and a duty."
“Anybody who loves Iran; anyboyd who loves the Islamic Republic and national dignity, grandeur and glory is advised to participate in the elections,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei also recommended the voters to cast their ballots with the dignity and independence of the country on their minds.
“The enemies have their covetous eyes trained on Iran. People are advised to vote with discretion and foresight and disappoint the enemies,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Around 55 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the two elections.
As many as 4,844 candidates, including about 500 women, are competing for a place in the Parliament, head of the Interior Ministry's election headquarters Mohammad Hossein Moqimi said on Thursday.
In the capital Tehran, some 1,000 candidates compete for 30 parliamentary seats. Five seats also go to the religious minorities recognized in the Iranian Constitution, namely Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians.
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