Ayatollah Khamenei encourages Iranians to vote as run-off parliamentary elections begin

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Iranians started voting to select the remaining 45 representatives from a pool of 90 candidates for their parliament.

Across the nation, 22 electoral districts were open for voting following a previous election in March that saw conservative politicians gain significant ground.

In Tehran, the capital, 16 deputies will be elected from a pool of 32 candidates aligning with conservatives.

Official results are anticipated to be announced the following Monday, with potential early tallies from smaller electoral constituencies.

Iranian state television broadcasted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casting his vote after polling stations commenced operations. Khamenei emphasized the importance of participation, affirming that "by-elections carry equal weight to general elections."

During the March elections, conservatives secured 200 seats out of 245, leaving 45 seats for moderate contenders.

The total voter turnout reached 25 million, with participation slightly below 41%.