TEHRAN – Representatives of religious minorities in the parliament have invited all the Iranian nation to participate massively in the upcoming presidential elections.

In a meeting on Thursday evening, President of the Association of Priests of Iran, Ardeshir Khorshidian; Armenian Caliphate Council of Tehran and Northern Iran, Reverend Gregory Nersesian; Religious Leader of the Kelimians of Iran, Younes Hamami Lalehzar; and Patriarch of Assyrian Church of the East and Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Tehran, Reverend Wanya Sarkis emphasized the need for the participation of the Iranian nation in the upcoming presidential elections.

duty for independence and progress.

Hammami Lalehzar, for his part, stated that the enemies of Iran, seek to harm our country, so we must highly protect it and stand by each other in this way.

Rev. Wania Sarkis pointing to the foreign media attempts discouraging the citizens to cast a vote in presidential elections, said that we are the ones who live in Iran. God has given us the wisdom and logic to build our country, that is why we should all participate in the elections and cast our ballots in order to have a powerful president.

Khorshidian also noted that “we, representatives of all religious minorities and monotheists gathered here to announce that it is our duty to all of us to participate in the presidential elections so that the next president can work on the country’s development. It is our national responsibility to invite all Zoroastrians and followers of other religious minorities to participate in the elections alongside the people of Iran.”

At the conclusion of the seminar, the participants issued a statement calling on the followers of religious minorities and all the Iranian people to participate widely in the presidential elections to elect the worthiest person for the presidency to contribute to building Iran’s prosperity and bright future.

The presidential election will be held on June 18, with seven candidates. It will be the thirteenth presidential election in Iran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said in May “the scene of elections is a place for competition to serve the people.”

People would participate in the elections in large numbers because competent and highly capable managers have entered the election race to resolve the people’s economic problems, he added. 

“Obviously, the enemies are opposed to our elections. Since the first day and for many years now, they have been opposed to them. Up until today, they have always focused on discouraging the people from participating in the elections by saying that the elections may be rigged and that there may be cheating. 

They propagandize against the people’s participation in elections. Later, when the people do participate and there is an enthusiastic turnout in the elections, they say that the elections have obviously been ‘engineered’ and that it was clear beforehand who would be the winner.”

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