TEHRAN — Government spokesman Ali Rabiei lauds people’s participation in the Friday parliamentary elections, saying all of the Islamic Republic’s bodies are directly or indirectly elected by the people.

“Given the elections that were held, it is necessary to say that the government and the Majlis are for all Iranian people,” Rabiei said on Monday, according to Mehr.

“The government made every effort so that the elections would be held in a healthy and secure state,” he added.

The nationwide votes for the parliament and the midterm elections of the Assembly of Experts officially were held on Friday.

A total of 7,148 candidates, including dozens of religious minorities, ran for the 29-seat parliament. 

In capital Tehran, 1,453 candidates competed for 30 seats.

Runoff elections will be held on April 17.

On Sunday Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei thanked Iranian nation, who responded positively to the call for participation in the parliamentary elections.

Addressing a session of advanced Islamic Jurisprudence (kharej–e Fiqh), Ayatollah Khamenei expressed gratitude to the Iranians for their high turnout in the elections, describing it as another great victory for the nation and another failure for the enemies.

Referring to the widespread negative propaganda campaigns by the enemies that were aimed to disappoint people and discourage them from taking part in the elections, the Leader said such propaganda had started a few months ago, and the foreign media increased their negative propaganda in the past days under the pretext of the outbreak of a new virus.

Leader added, “The God Almighty has determined to make the Iranian nation victorious despite all those vicious efforts.”

MH/PA