TEHRAN - Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to re-elect Ali Larijani as parliament speaker.

Larijani won 205 out of 263 votes cast during the open session of parliament.
The majority vote put Larijani as the head of the legislative power for the eighth consecutive year.

Larijani’s rival, Ruhollah Hosseinian, received only 36 votes.

Larijani has been parliament speaker since the eighth parliament started in 2008. He was secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council before being elected as a lawmaker from Qom. He also served as director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.

Last year, he managed to secure 187 out of 264 votes to remain in the position of speaker.

The parliamentarians also elected Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard and Mohammad Reza Bahonar as the first and second deputy speakers with 231 and 192 votes, respectively.

Abdolreza Mesri (161 votes), Seyed Sharif Hosseini (160 votes), and Mohammad Ashouri (153 votes) were also elected as supervisors of the presiding board of the parliament.

Tabriz representatives Alireza Monadi (145 votes) and Mohammad Hossein Farhangi (207 votes), Shiraz representatives Zarqam Sadeqi (153 votes) and Ahmadreza Dastqeib (139 votes), Tehran representative Mehrdad Bazrpash (150 votes) and Torqabe representative Mohammad Dehqan (136 votes) were also elected as the secretaries of the presiding board.

The Followers of Leadership faction filled most of the positions, including the speaker’s post, mostly for their moderate approach.

Following the polls, Larijani expressed his gratitude to the MPs’ confidence in him and hoped that the parliament will fulfill its responsibilities in his tenure.

Majlis or Parliament currently has 290 representatives. Lawmakers take the seats for a four-year term.

The Zoroastrians and Jews each elect one representative in the parliament, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians jointly elect one representative, and Armenian Christians in the north and the south are each represented by one lawmaker, according to the parliament’s official website.

Addressing a gathering of lawmakers earlier on Monday, Larijani emphasized that the conclusion of a final deal on Iran’s nuclear program requires parliament’s “involvement” as well.

“Settling the nuclear issue is not an onus on the administration alone, but a party to the resolution of this issue is Majlis,” the Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.

“The country’s major issues and problems, such as the nuclear talks, will not be resolved without the involvement of the Majlis,” he said, stressing that a logical and right attitude is required to address the issue.

He also highlighted the significant role of the legislature in addressing the country’s issues.

Larijani acted as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator when he was appointed as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in the early years of the Ahmadinejad administration.

MD/P