Roundup: High turnout in Iran's elections signal great expectations in post-sanctions era

Large numbers of voters lined up in long queues in front of the polling stations in Iran's major cities since early Friday morning to cast their ballots in two key elections.

The elections for Iran's Parliament (Majlis) and Assembly of Experts started at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) with Khamenei casting his votes.

Over the past days, Iranian political leaders have repeatedly called on people for their active participation in votes of the Parliament (Majlis) and Assembly of Experts' to decide on the future of the country.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani urged all eligible Iranian voters to go to the polls, saying that doing so will "disappoint" enemies and boost "national sovereignty."

Besides, Rouhani said upon casting his vote that "today's election is an embodiment of the country's political independence as well as the national sovereignty."

"If before the Islamic revolution (in 1979) the foreigners decided for the country, following the revolution over the last 37 years, these are the Iranians who decide for their country at the ballot boxes," Rouhani said.

High turnout was anticipated as the climate of the elections in the country is currently, to a significant extent, competitive, which has made the political scene open to the rise of the basic demands.

"We are here to follow the advice of the Supreme Leader and fulfill our divine obligations," said Ma'soumeh Fazeli, a 23-year old female student majoring in medicine, who was waiting with her family in front of Masjed al-Nabi mosque in the east of Tehran to cast her vote.

"I hope the candidates could stick to their words and help the establishment promote the livelihood and welfare of our society," she said, adding that "post-sanction era has left no excuse for the administration and the lawmakers in pursuing their economic promises and improving the conditions of the people."

"In the future, people expect the reports about growth, not inflation and depression from the officials. We did our duty (of voting) and our representatives should do their utmost to do their promises. We expect the climate of the next parliament to be clean of power struggles between the factions, but cooperation for the good of the people and the country," Fazeli told Xinhua.

She excitedly concluded that the Iranians should portray an image of Islam to the world, which is in favor of development and peace for the global people.

As the polls open, President Rouhani said "today's political participation means hope for the future of the country, and confidence on the establishment as well as the authorities."

He added that regardless of the results of the elections, the next legislative bodies, either Majlis or the Assembly of Experts, should serve the interest of the people and the country.

Ahmad Zahedi, a 42-year-old father of two young children, told Xinhia that "over the past decades, the economic burden on the lives of people was undeniably hard and crippling. What we saw and heard from the previous parliamentarians were debates over less significant things, rather than important issues."

"Despite all the pressures during eight-year war (1980-1988) between Iran and Iraq and the pressures of sanctions by the West (over the country's disputed nuclear program) over the years, people stood resilient to the invaders and to the sanctioners and worked out solutions to come out of the two crises victorious," he said.

The next Majlis would be the first parliament after the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers clinched in July, and "people expect the newcomers to care about the economic conditions of people and to think about the laws and mechanism that could raise the standards of living and their purchase capacity," he added, noting that he is a chemistry engineer and works long hours to meet the demands of a decent life in a city like Tehran. Endit