Iranian MP: High turnout in election shows Iranian nation\'s strong bonds with leader

First Vice-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Seyed Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi Fard stressed that participation of nearly three quarters of the Iranian people in the Friday presidential election indicated their deep bonds of affection and admiration for Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. \"The great task that the great nation of the Islamic Iran did on June 14 was a source of honor, admiration and surprise,\" Aboutorabi Fard told FNA on Sunday. He stated that the move showed the inseparable and strong bond between the nation, government and the Islamic establishment. \"People\'s massive participation in the presidential election indicated the depth of the relationship between the Iranian nation and the leader which is the secret of the Iranian nation\'s power and grandeur,\" Aboutorabi Fard said. The 11th presidential and the 4th city and village councils elections were held at some 58,764 polling stations in Iran and 96 other world countries on Friday. The Iranian nation elected Hassan Rouhani as the Islamic Republic\'s president for the next 4 years. Iran\'s Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced Saturday evening that from a total number of 36,704,156 ballots cast in Iran\'s 11th presidential election on Friday June 14, Rouhani won 18,613,329 votes, accounting for 52.49% of the votes cast in the election, while his main rival Mohammad Qalibaf could secure only 6,077,292 votes. A number of 50,483,192 people were eligible to vote in the elections. 1.6 million youths came to be eligible to vote for the first time in their lives as the voting age in Iran is above 18 according to the law. The Interior Ministry\'s election headquarters said turnout among the electorate was 72.7 percent. It also said spoilt votes stood at 1,245,409.