The interior minister underlined the government's role in conducting elections as an organizer that seeks to preserve citizens' legal rights, saying the government is in no way pursuing the aim of influencing the process of voting.
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli made the remarks in an address to a meeting of managers with government organizations in Bojnourd, North Khorasan Province, on Sunday, IRNA reported.
Commenting on the 2016 parliamentary election, he said after being elected as lawmakers, candidates who win the people's vote, regardless of their affiliations with various political parties, need to cooperate with the government in an integrated manner within the framework of the Constitution.
"The government's stance toward elections is to hold peaceful and sound elections in a glorious manner ensuring widespread public presence," he said, expressing hope that the people would vote for the best candidates with appropriate academic and moral qualifications.
Rahmani Fazli urged political parties to avoid disputes if they are looking for a popular base, saying such conflicts, although might please certain individuals, only alienate the public.
In addition, he said the people constitute the base for national security, adding that security, police and military forces are in full control of frontiers, letting no chaos in border areas.
The minister also said the emergence of Takfiri terrorists and deviant groups in the Middle East is a product of the hegemonic powers' plots to provoke conflict among regional states.
A Takfiri is a Muslim who accuses followers of other faiths and some Islamic sects of being unbelievers. He said the main cause of the terrorists' survival in regional states such as Iraq and Syria lies in poverty that exists in crisis-hit countries enabling terrorist groups to recruit from the poor people.
He added that "ignorance, lies, deception and religious prejudices" have provided an opportunity for terrorist groups to demonstrate power in the region.
