TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized the importance of voting for national improvement after casting his ballot in the second round of the 12th parliamentary elections on Friday.
During the official voting ceremony, Khamenei greeted election staff and participated in the runoff elections, which involve 90 candidates competing for 45 parliamentary seats. The initial round took place on March 1.
The first round saw a turnout of 41%, the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought the clerical rulers to power. This election has been viewed as a critical test of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy, faced with economic challenges and limited electoral choices for a predominantly young population seeking political and social freedoms.
