Iran's Religious Minorities Go To Polling Stations

Tehran, June 15, IRNA – A large group of members of various religious minorities attended polling stations Friday morning to vote in the presidential and city and rural council elections. Many Armenians, Zoroastrians and Jews attended Hosseiniyeh Ershad Mosque in northern Tehran to cast their votes for the 11th presidential and fourth city and rural council elections. Head of the Council of Iranian Mobeds, Rashid Khorshidian told IRNA that Iranian Zoroastrians expected the next president to help further develop the country in various economic, political, social and cultural fields. A mobed or Mobad is a Zoroastrian cleric of a particular rank who is qualified to train other priests Mobed Khorshidian stressed that the Iranian minorities expected the next president to pay respect for all Iranians. The elections started at some 60,000 polling stations nationwide this morning and are simultaneously being held in 96 world countries. Some 51 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the presidential election The six candidates running in Iran’s presidential election are President of the Expediency Council’s Center for Strategic Research Hassan Rohani, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and former Telecommunications minister Mohammad Gharazi. Former Majlis speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel and former First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref withdrew their candidacies earlier this week./end