Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei called upon Iranians to exercise massive turnout in the 9th Majlis elections indicating that the voting is a duty and a right of all the Iranian people

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei called upon Iranians to exercise massive turnout in the 9th Majlis elections indicating that the voting is a duty and a right of all the Iranian people.

After casting his vote at a polling station in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei called on the Iranian people to cast their votes in the early hours of the voting, saying that he believed voting was like praying which would bring the most blessing when it is done within the shortest time from the call for the prayers, state-run news agency IRNA reported.

Ayatollah Khamenei added that elections have always been significant and played a determining role for the country and the Islamic establishment, and have always conveyed a message to foes and friends.

The Leader stated that the arrogant powers are spreading propaganda and threats against the Islamic Republic to deny their failures. They resort to impose sanctions and raise human rights issues against Iran, His eminence added.

The Majlis elections since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution officially started across Iran at 08:00 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Friday with 3,454 candidates competing.

On February 21, Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said that 48,288,799 people are eligible to cast their ballots in the Majlis vote.

Over 5,400 had registered to contest the 290 parliamentary seats. More than 47,000 polling stations will operate nationwide during the elections, state media said. Iran's Guardian Council is the side charged with supervising the elections.