Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani urged authorities as well as political parties to make efforts to set the stage for "real competition" for the upcoming elections to encourage the largest possible number of people to vote, since a high turnout is crucial to maintaining "national security."
The remarks came on Sunday in reference to the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections scheduled to be held on February 26, 2016 in an address to a gathering of governors at the premises of the interior ministry, Fars news agency reported.
Underlining the fact that elections involve "participation of people to determine their own destiny," Larijani called for measures to inspire dynamism in the society to improve the atmosphere of elections, saying that an electoral environment dominated by disappointment is neither in the interest of domestic politics, nor it can help attract foreign investment.
"The psychological security of the voters needs to be preserved in the course of elections," the speaker noted, calling on the involved parties and candidates to avoid insulting each other.
He highlighted the significance of having a strategy to conduct "healthy elections" and to exclude the ones who violate principles to gain the people's votes.
The senior lawmaker also referred to another factor in conducting sound elections, namely increased "transparency," saying voters need to be able to monitor the whole process of voting, a measure which can help enhance public trust.
He asked state organizations and government departments to refrain from adopting a "biased" approach to the elections to avoid causing confusion among the public.
