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Iran's parliament vows bigger roles against "arrogant powers"

Xinhua, May 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iran's new Majlis (parliament) opened on Saturday with the Iranian Supreme Leader urging the lawmakers to turn the parliament into a locus to serve the country and a stronghold against the excessive demands of arrogant powers.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed the big turnout of the people in the February parliamentary elections as the "re-allegiance with Islamic republic" and called on the elected legislators to be vigilant in the face of regional and international challenges.

"Your revolutionary and legal duty is to make Majlis a stronghold against the plots, deceptions and excessive demands of the arrogant powers," Khamenei said in a message to the opening ceremony of the parliament.

"Realization of the resistant economy with all its requirements and diligent efforts to expand and deepen the Islamic culture are two immediate priorities" that the new Majlis should consider, Khamenei said.

On Feb. 26. Iranians attended the polls for parliamentary elections, the results of which showed the gain of reformists although they could not seize the majority.

According to the Press TV, in February elections, reformists swept the polls, winning close to 42 percent of the ballots, followed by principlists with nearly 29 percent of the votes, and independents with 22.41 percent.

The remaining seats went to the religious minorities and candidates endorsed by both reformists and principlists. The lawmakers in Iran are elected for four years. Endit