New Majlis Opens With Leader’s Message

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran’s newly-elected lawmakers have held the first session of the Parliament on Wednesday with a message from Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

The inaugural session of the 11th Iranian Parliament after victory of the Islamic Revolution was attended by President Hassan Rouhani, Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, and Secretary of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati.

At the opening of the new legislature, Ayatollah Khamenei’s chief of staff took the podium to read a message from the Leader.

In the message, Ayatollah Khamenei has called on the newly-elected MPs to push for the settlement of the country’s economic problems on the basis of the Resistance Economy policies.

Addressing Iran’s new lawmakers, Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted culture and economy as the country’s most pressing issues, which require the newly-inaugurated Parliament’s highest-level of attention.

In the statement, the Leader said the new Parliament’s inauguration displays the successful implementation of “Islamic democracy” in the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei thanked the Iranian nation for their “diligence and motivation” in electing the new legislature and congratulated the parliamentarians on securing the nation’s approval.

Citing the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, the Leader said Majlis stands “at the forefront” of the country’s affairs.

The legislative body, Ayatollah Khamenei said, is duty-bound to pave the way for the adoption of the laws that serve as the country’s path towards its desired “pinnacles and destinations.”

The Leader, therefore, urged the lawmakers to bring into force “the right, apt, and workable” legislation that would empower “the country to attain its sublime goals.”

In order to correctly perform their duties, the lawmakers have to properly identify the country’s priorities through expert analysis, maintain their active engagement, and avoid misusing the position and resources that have been trusted with them, the statement noted.

The legislators, it added, should not allow harmful, personal, and factional affairs to interfere with their performance.

“You respectable representatives are the ones, who can grant Majlis a decent standing,” Ayatollah Khamenei observed.

Ayatollah Khamenei said today’s topmost priorities were “culture and economy,” advising the Parliament to place the main planks of the national economy — including  employment, production, and the national currency’s value — high on its agenda.

“The general policies of the Resistance Economy serve as a credible guideline in this area,” the statement added, referring to a well-known economic course of action devised by the Leader.

Ayatollah Khamenei expressed certitude that commitment to such principles and other momentous guidelines would “prove to the Iranian nation that they have made the right choices [by electing the parliamentarians],” and further motivate them to participate in upcoming elections.

This year, the elections were held on February 21, taking 279 lawmakers, including 17 women, into the legislature. A second round is expected to be held in September for the remaining 11 elective seats.

This parliament’s lawmakers include 223 MPs from the Principlist camp, 18 Reformists, and 38 independents.