Iran Kicks Off New Parliament

The Islamic republic inaugurated the new Majlis (parliament) on Sunday.

In a message read in the opening ceremony of Iran’s 9th Majlis, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed the Iranians’ participation in the recent parliamentary elections and said that the inauguration of the new Iranian legislature is a “powerful message by which the Iranian nation addresses the contemporary world.”

Addressing the ceremony, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Iranian government and the parliament should cooperate to materialize the values of the Islamic revolution.

Ahmadinejad said that cooperation between the government and the parliament is necessary to withstand the pressure by the country’s enemies.

The run-off contest of the Iranian parliamentary elections was concluded on May 4 after which 290 Majlis seats were decided.

According to the reports, Xinhua, in the new parliaments, loyalists to Khamenei and powerful clerics have won the majority of votes.