TEHRAN— Speaking at a parliamentary session on Sunday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the parliament, asked people to flood the ballot boxes in the June 18 presidential elections.

He also advised the candidates to follow ethical principles in the presidential campaigns. 

Failure to use the opportunity to participate in elections to influence “one's own destiny will harm the interests of the people” in all social classes,” the speaker remarked. 

He noted that low participation has no winners. 

Ghalibaf highlighted that the people should build the future with their own free will. 

“Today is a good opportunity for us to join hands with every ideology and attitude and with every political faction to build a strong Iran, as the Leader said,” he pointed out. 

‘Candidates should refrain from making unfair claims against rivals’

Speaking on the importance of upholding moral principles in the presidential campaigns, the top parliamentarian noted that the candidates should seriously refrain from making unfair claims against rivals.

“Such actions will blacken the situation in the country and disappoint the people about the future. The Iranian people themselves know better than anyone that the main power of our land is in the support of its people. Increasing this popular power will directly lead to the national interest in various international arenas against the enemies of the people,” he stressed.

Ghalibaf said that the people attach great importance to the fact that the president, as the highest executive official of the country, plays the most important role in the lives of the people.

Speaking about the successful registration of candidates and the variety of nominees from various political factions, he said that a large number of candidates from different political groups indicates that the country's political elites, with different tastes, have accepted both the electoral process and the position of the presidency, and have sufficient authority to bring about change.

He said, “The seriousness of the competitive environment and the high participation of the people in line with the interest of the country is the demand of all sympathizers of Iran.” 

The top MP stated that a transformation of the electoral passion into massive participation in the elections is possible if the candidates and their loyalists realize that it is important to create hope and draw a clear horizon for the country and provide operational solutions to achieve them. 

It is necessary to increase participation in the election, he added.

The presidential elections will be held on June 18.

According to Jamal Orf, the Deputy Minister of Interior, over 592 candidates have registered for the elections, 40 of which were women. 

Many prominent political figures have registered to bring about a fresh change in the administration, including Judiciary chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi, special advisor to Leader Ali Larijani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati.

SA/PA