By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

Friday’s nationwide elections for the 12th four-year term of the parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran in freezing temperatures when the mercury in some parts of the country was several digits below zero, was yet another success for the people and their representatives aspiring to serve the country.
It was yet another slap in the face of the enemies, led by the US indulging in a feverish propaganda campaign to discourage voters, who nonetheless, according to initial reports, exceeded the forty percent mark and when the final counting is over are expected to total many more.
Yesterday there were street celebrations throughout the country for the triumph of people’s power.
The voters also cast ballots for the 6th eight-year term of the Assembly of Experts which is made up of revered religious scholars, whose duties include supervision of the system of government and confirmation of the Leader.
Compared to countries which harp on democracy that is devoid of ethical and spiritual values and where people have no choice but to waste their votes on candidates with even criminal records, including apostates, the Iranian electorate is presented a list of representatives approved by the Guardian Council on the basis of their faith in God, in the country, and in the ideals of the revolution.
Iran’s 290-seat parliament, popular as the “Majlis”, is well represented by the religious minorities of the country, such as Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews, while in areas populated by Sunni Muslims the candidates belong to the same sect.
This is indeed unique and firm proof the respect that the Islamic Revolution attaches to all strata of citizens and the freedom for them to practice to freely and openly practice their respective rites and rituals.
These liberties for people of other faith are sorely absent in the so-called liberal democracies that their own citizens their basic birthrights.
For instance, the US has almost 15 million Muslim citizens but the Congress and the presidency which are controlled by the minority Jews (less than six million), do not allow this sizeable and rapidly growing number of American Muslims to have their own elected candidates in either the Senate or the House of Representatives.
This same injustice prevails in several other countries, whether autocracies or democracies, and whether Muslim or non-Muslim, where minorities are not properly represented in the legislatures in accordance with the percentage of their population, either on the basis of sect or creed.
In short, the Iranian people, including those who for some reasons could not make it to the ballot boxes but are part of the committed majority, are fully confident that the parliamentarians and the religious experts will definitely strive to promote the interests of the Islamic Republic at the national and international levels, with support for the world’s oppressed and confrontation of global arrogance, especially the cherished goal of liberation of Palestine.