Elections, he said, last a day, but their effects, years.

Khamenei participated by videoconference in a session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament) during which its speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf presented a summary of what happened in that entity in the most recent year.

The Iranian top religious figure called on citizens to ignore campaigns aimed at undermining the civil exercise.

He also thanked the 585 candidates who did not qualify for the final stage of the elections for respecting the decision adopted by the Guardian Council.

The seven qualified candidates to run in June 18 presidential elections are Ebrahim Raeisi, Mohsen Rezaei, Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh, Sa’eed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Abdol-Nasser Hemmati and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term that is renewable only once.

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