Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said Saturday that the turnout of Friday's parliamentary elections in the country was more than 64 percent out of some 48 million eligible voters.

"The preliminary data shows that the participation of people nationwide was 64.2 percent which is unimaginable," local Mehr news agency quoted Mohammad-Najjar as saying.

On Saturday, Mohammad-Najjar said the country's "enemies" invested a lot to discourage people from participating in the elections, but the people disappointed them by the high turnout, according to Mehr. But there was no independent source to confirm the turnout results.

According to official figures, the turnout in the 2008 parliamentary elections in the Islamic republic was 55.4 percent.

On Thursday, Iran's Guardians Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodai disapproved of the calls that there should be international observers for the elections, saying that Iran considers it disgraceful and "an insult" for the sovereignty of a country which considers itself as independent.

According to the results finalized so far, 135 candidates have won parliament's seats, Mohammad-Najjar said.

The results in the major cities of Iran, including Tehran, have not come out so far, and it is expected that the final results will be announced by Tuesday.

The candidates who cannot win the majority of votes will compete in the second round which will start a few days after the first round of elections.

On Friday morning, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot shortly after the voting started and called on Iranians to actively vote in the elections.

"The bigger turnout, the better for the security and for the future of the country," said Khamenei.

He stressed the importance of the parliamentary elections, saying participation of Iranians in the polling will have " messages both for the enemies of Iran and for its friends."

The enemies of the country who "have been defeated and have been delivered a blow" are making remarks against the elections and repeating the same issues like sanctions, human rights and threats, he said.

However, Iran is in a privileged position and can do better both in words and in practice, the supreme leader said.

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