Iran leader stresses importance of upcoming parliament elections

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Friday that elections in Iran are the "healthiest worldwide." According to IRNA, Khamenei urged officials in charge of the elections to strictly observe the law, which, he said, is the yardstick between right and wrong.

Terming elections as a "decisive and crucial" scene, Khamenei said study on each term of elections in different junctures has shown that the global hegemonic powers have been engaged in their hostile publicity to undermine public presence and discourage them but to no avail. "This shows importance of the elections," he added.

The Iranian cleric pointed to "enemies' defeat in the face of the Iranian nation's democracy" and said, those, who have been following policies of adventurism and massacre and supporting the puppet regimes, upon facing Iranian nation's democracy, claim lack of freedom in elections and the people's low interest in elections.  He said that in a bid to prevent the holding of elections, the enemies on an occasion used some deceived elements to achieve their goal but failed.

Calling participation in the elections "a national duty", Ayatollah Khamenei said the duty has not changed with coming to power of different governments or different political wings and all should consider themselves duty bound to take part in the process and should not try to seek any excuse for that.