Iranians voted today in the country’s 11th parliamentary election which conservatives are expected to dominate. Iranians headed to polls amid public anger against moderate conservative president Hassan Rouhani over a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the United States.
State television showed the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casting the first vote. He also told Iranians in a speech that it is a religious obligation to vote.
Iran has been hit by an economic crisis and high inflation, after US president Donald Trump pulled out of the 2018 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed sanctions against the country, including on its oil and banking sectors.
On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials in charge of vetting candidates. “The Trump administration will not tolerate the manipulation of elections to favour the regime’s malign agenda”, said the US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
As all ballots are counted manually, the official results are expected up to two or three days after the vote.
Iran votes to elect new parliament amid economic crisis
EPA-EFE/IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
A handout picture made available by Iran's Supreme Leader Office shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) voting in the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, 21 February 2020. Iranians headed to polls amid a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the United States.
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