TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cast his vote early on Friday both for the 11th parliamentary elections and the mid-term election for the Assembly of Experts. 

Ayatollah Khamenei cast his vote at the Hussainiyeh of Imam Khomeini in Tehran, where a polling booth -- ballot box 110 -- is located. 

Broadcast live on national TV, the Leader described the election as a “national celebration”. 

The Leader said, “Firstly, election day is a national celebration and I congratulate this celebration to all dear countrymen across the country. Secondly, it is the day of the materialization of the civil rights of the nation…. Thirdly, this is a religious duty.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also called on all those interested in the country’s “national interests” to vote.

“The fact is that elections guarantee the country’s national interests (and) anybody who is interested in the country’s national interests should vote.”

Nearly 58 million across the country are eligible to vote on lists of candidates.

The Iranian parliament, officially known as the Islamic Consultative Assembly, is a 290-seat legislative body with 207 constituencies. Its members are elected every four years, and former and current members can be re-elected.

The Assembly of Experts is a deliberative body of 88 theologians tasked with choosing the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Members of the assembly are elected every eight years.

Mid-term Assembly of Experts elections are held just in five provinces including Tehran.

EM/AFM