Iran Leader stresses on participation in presidential runoff vote

The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called for greater participation in the second round of the snap presidential election on Friday.

In a meeting with scholars from Shahid Motahari University in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the importance of the runoff phase when voters will choose between reformist Massoud Pezeshkian and principlist Saeed Jalili to replace the late president Ebrahim Raisi whose tenure was cut short after he died in a helicopter crash last May.

The Leader said people are the backbone of the Islamic Republic and can help it achieve its goals, adding taking part in the election is tied to the country’s progress and is a “very big opportunity for strategic strengthening of Iran.”

He said, “This election is very important and anyone who loves Islam, the Islamic Republic, the progress of the country, the improvement of the situation, and bridging the gaps should show this interest by participating in the election on Friday.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said it is completely wrong to think that those who did not vote in the first round of election are against the ruling establishment in Iran.

More than 24 million out of the 61 million eligible voters cast their votes in Friday’s election, putting the turnout at 40 percent, according to the Iranian Interior Ministry.

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