Moderates and reformists supporting President Hassan Rouhani appeared to have made a strong showing in high stakes elections that could speed or slow Iran’s post-sanctions opening to the world, according to early unofficial results on Saturday.
Tens of millions thronged polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the Assembly of Experts in a poll seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60% of the 80 million population is under 30.
Even if reformists do not emerge with a majority in the 290-seat legislature, dominated since 2004 by anti-Western conservatives, analysts say they will secure a bigger presence than in the past elections.
A first batch of results approved by the Guardian Council which supervises elections showed eight reformists, nine independents and 11 hardline “principlists” won seats.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told state television early results for Tehran’s 30 seats would be announced on Saturday evening.
Conservatives usually perform well in the countryside while young town-dwellers tend to prefer moderate candidates.
Reformists seeking more social and economic freedoms and diplomatic engagement voiced high hopes of expanding their influence or even taking control of parliament and of easing conservative clerics’ grip on the 88-member experts’ assembly that chooses the supreme leader.
In the Assembly of Experts our initial expectation was 15 to 20% but it seems it will be beyond that.
Huge turnout
Newspapers hailed what they saw as a huge turnout, including many young voters. Polling was extended five times for a total of almost six extra hours because so many people wanted to vote.
Iran’s Financial Tribune newspaper said three million first-time voters were among the nearly 55 million people aged 18 and over who are eligible to cast ballots.
The elections were the first since Tehran last year agreed with six major powers to curb its nuclear programme, leading to the removal of most of the stringent international sanctions that have paralysed the economy over the past decade.
Supporters of Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal, are pitted against hardliners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni. They are deeply suspicious of detente with Western countries, seen as adversaries implacably opposed to the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shah.
Rouhani, who has promised more social and economic freedoms as well as diplomatic engagement abroad, voiced pride in the mass participation.
Interior Ministry spokesman Hosseinali Amiri said more than 33 million votes had been cast but that tally was not final. It would probably take three days to count all the votes, he said .
Mehr news agency published a list of both official and unofficial parliamentary winners so far, breaking down their affiliation as 82 conservative, 49 reformist and 71 independent.
