Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) shows his identification card before casting his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2012. The Iranian parliamentary elections began on Friday morning with some 48 million eligible voters to choose members of the 290-seat parliament. (Xinhua/Official website of Iranian President)

According to the local media, some 48 million eligible voters could choose their legislators for a four-year term.

Over the past months, Iranian authorities incessantly called for a mass turnout in the elections as a way to show their support to the nation amid Western isolation and threat.

Highlighting the significance of a high voter turnout, Khamenei said Wednesday that the Iranian nation would display its firm determination to triumph over enemies of the country.

"Well, we vote for those who are representatives of us and who will voice our concerns at the legislative body, the parliament." Pedram Hayati, a voter, told Xinhua in the Hosseinieh Ershad polling station in northern Tehran.

A young girl, who introduced herself as Faezeh Rasaei, said "I vote for those who deserve it, those who want the welfare of the country and those who are preservers of the sovereignty of Iran."

Another boy, Saeed Gholami, said "the main concern (of those whom we vote for) should be to solve the problems facing people, and they should not be after luxurious lives."

The expectations for the candidates came as the country's economy feels strangled by the rising pressures from Western countries.

Iran's parliamentary elections began Friday with the focus on the competitions among conservative rivals, while the reformists had earlier claimed to be out of the contest.