Zarif Hails Iranians’ Participation in Elections as ‘Glorious’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif praised the people’s massive presence in the elections as “glorious” and said they once again guaranteed the country’s security and power.
In a post on his Instagram page on Saturday, Zarif expressed his gratitude to the Iranian people for their massive presence in the 12th presidential elections, the 5th City and Village Councils elections and the midterm parliamentary elections on Friday.
“We are indebted to all Iranian people, who once again guaranteed the sovereignty, security, and dignity of Iran and Iranians by their glorious and vigilant presence in the elections at home and abroad,” Zarif said.
Iranians headed to the polls as soon as the stations opened on Friday to elect the country’s 8th president.
Four candidates were seeking the presidency in the polls, namely incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, Ebrahim Raisi, Mostafa Hashemitaba, and Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim. Two other hopefuls, Eshaq Jahangiri and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, dropped out of the race in favor of Rouhani and Raisi, respectively.
Concurrently, the 5th City and Village Councils elections were held across the country.
Near 63,500 polling stations across Iran opened on Friday. Around 14,000 mobile ballot boxes were also prepared for inaccessible and rural areas.
Authorities say the number of eligible voters stood at above 56,400,000, more than 1,350,000 of whom were allowed to vote for the first time.
