Baku, Azerbaijan, May 25
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iranian reformist lawmaker-elect Mohammad Reza Aref has pledged to run as a candidate for the position of the speaker of Iran's parliament.
Aref said he will not withdraw from candidacy for the speaker's position in favor of the current speaker Ali Larijani, ISNA news agency reported May 25.
He added that the parliament members will have the final say on the speaker's position.
The competition between Ali Larijani, the incumbent speaker of the parliament, and Aref for securing the seat of the Iranian parliament's head appears to heat up as the new parliament is scheduled to begin its session on May 27.
Iran held its 10th parliamentary election on Feb. 26 with an overall turnout of 62 percent nationwide.
Later on Apr. 29, Iran held run-off elections to fill 68 seats in the 290-seat parliament.
The outcome of the elections gave President Hassan Rouhani's allies a working majority in the Iranian parliament.