TEHRAN – The leader of this week’s Friday prayers in Tehran said that the massive turnout in the parliamentary election was “a hard slap in the face of enemies.”  

 

The first round of Iran’s parliamentary election was held on March 2. The national turnout for the election was reported to be 64.2 percent.

  

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said, “Casting each ballot paper in ballot boxes was a hard slap in the face of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution.”  

 

Enthusiastic voter participation in the election dashed the hopes of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution and sapped their morale, he stated.

 

He also said that the high turnout in the election gave a crushing response to the enemies of the system and showed that the people do not support the seditionists.      

 

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Guardian Council chairman thanked the people for casting their votes perceptively and not allowing the candidates who have not a good track record to get into the parliament.  

 

“The people in the election prevented those (candidates) toward whom we have borne resentment and who hardly gained the approval of (the Guardian Council) from entering the Majlis,” he said.