Iranian lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted to reelect�Ali Larijani as Iran�s Parliament (Majlis) speaker for the eighth�consecutive year.

Larijani was elected as the head of the�country�s legislative branch�after�winning 205 out of 263 votes cast during an open parliamentary session on Tuesday.

Last year, he had managed to secure 187 out of 264 votes to remain in�the position.

Larijani�s rival, Ruhollah Hosseinian, only received 36 of the votes, while 22 lawmakers abstained.

Larijani has been Iran�s parliament speaker since Iran�s eighth parliament started in 2008.

The Iranian parliamentarians also elected Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard and Mohammad Reza Bahonar as the first and second deputy speakers, respectively.

Larijani was secretary of Iran�s Supreme National Security Council before being elected as a lawmaker in the eighth parliament. He also served as head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for 10 years during 1994-2004.

By Press TV