Al-Jazeera Net-Tehran

"The interest of the country is above all considerations," a phrase that summarizes the consensus of the religious minorities in Iran when participating in the parliamentary elections, while the leader of Iranian Jews considered participating in it as a "legitimate and patriotic duty."

As the temperature fluctuated during the last days in the capital, Tehran, and the freezing cold turned into a mild climate, the electoral centers witnessed a moderate popular participation today - according to observers - in Tehran, except for the centers designated for religious minorities, which witnessed a heavy presence, as it used to during the previous parliamentary elections.

Twelve candidates from religious minorities competed in the legislative and complementary elections for the fifth session of the Assembly of Experts of Leadership for the central district of the capital, Tehran, according to Article 64 of the Iranian constitution, which provides for recognition of the rights of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic, including representation in Parliament.

In the era of the previous Pahlavi monarchy, the Iranian constitution provided for the representation of one deputy for every 150,000 citizens, regardless of their religion.

Participation in the elections is a "national duty of all Iranians," according to the head of the Aramaic Council in Isfahan and the southern regions of Iran, and "Warooj Minassian", who stressed the necessity of participating in choosing the representatives of the people, regardless of the differences in race, doctrines, and religions.

Legal duty
Like Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who considered taking part in the elections a "religious duty," Rabbi "Hamami Laleh," the religious leader of Iranian Jews, urged his followers to perform "the legal and national duty" and contribute to making their future by participating in the electoral merit.

He added, "Although the representative represents the whole people, the elections give the religious minorities in Iran a special advantage in choosing a candidate who takes the follow-up of the affairs of the Jewish community - especially the legal and legal ones - on his shoulders."

In the context, the head of the Jewish Society of Southern Iran, "Amir Salari", anticipated the opening of the polls by calling on the Jewish citizens to urge them to participate broadly to block the rumors that talk about putting pressure on religious minorities in Iran.

The Iranian constitution provides for the formal observance of the followers of Christian, Judaic and Zoroastrian religions and their enjoyment of similar rights, and Article 13 of it grants each recognized minority an explicit protection.

Khanlari described the participation of religious minorities in the Iranian elections as intense (Al-Jazeera)

Minorities and penalties
And if the US sanctions tightened the screws on the Iranian economy, especially after the withdrawal of the President Donald Trump's administration from the nuclear agreement, then it does not differentiate between the Muslim community and other religious minorities, according to the head of the Council of Aramaic in Shiraz, "Hermon Aratonian", who called on the people of his minority to participate extensively to confront what He called it "unfair US sanctions."

For his part, the president of the Zoroastrian minority council in the southern province of Fars, "Plato Sehrabi", referred to media propaganda regarding restrictions imposed on religious minorities in Iran, describing the electoral process today and its participation as an indication of the Islamic Republic's interest in religious minorities and a sign of the freedom it enjoys in Iran.

And we have seen a clear contradiction between what Sahrabi went to and some international reports that talk about systematic discrimination against religious minorities in Iran. How true are these reports? A question we asked to the Armenian minority deputy in the Iranian parliament Karen Khanleri, who considered the reports of some international human rights institutions regarding the pressure on religious minorities in Iran, "politicized" in order to pressure Tehran.

Soon after casting his vote in Tehran, Khanlari stressed in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net that the Armenians in Iran, like all other groups in society, are following up their demands within the framework of the Iranian constitution, which guarantees them religious and social freedoms and civil rights.

Regarding the reasons for the security of the participants to participate in the electoral merit, the Armenian deputy in the Iranian parliament said that it is a national and humanitarian duty to contribute to building the future of the country and participate in legislating the laws, as well as authorizing the representative to follow the issues of security and their rights through official channels.

Minority representation in Parliament
The Iranian constitution allocates five seats to Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians from the 290 legislative power seats. The lion's share of the Christian community as the largest religious minority recognized in Iran and numbering more than three hundred thousand people, 80% of whom belong to the Armenian community while the Assyrians and Chaldeans constitute 20% The other% according to the official Iranian media.

The Armenians say that they are one of the oldest nationalities that inhabited Persia since the founding of the Church of Persia at the hands of St. Thomas in ancient times.

In addition to the three seats for the representation of Christian denominations (one for Assyrians and Chaldeans and two seats for Armenians) in the Iranian Parliament, both the Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities are represented by one seat in the Iranian legislative branch.

Election centers opened their doors to about 58 million Iranian voters on Friday morning in the first elections after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

The Iranian elections are characterized by the existence of electronic systems that facilitate the voting process by transferring information and data automatically.