Rouhani allies set for Iran parliament win

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Rouhani allies set for Iran parliament win
(UPDATED) Official results are expected later Saturday, April 30

TEHRAN, Iran – (UPDATED) Reformist and moderate Iranian politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won second round parliamentary elections, unofficial results said Saturday, opening the door to them controlling the legislature.

The outcome, if confirmed officially, would represent a dramatic realignment in the Islamic republic, with conservative MPs likely being outnumbered by their rivals for the first time since 2004.

It would also be an implicit public vote of confidence for Rouhani, who won a landslide election victory in 2013 and went on to clinch a historic deal with world powers over Tehran’s nuclear programme that lifted sanctions.

 Preliminary results also took to 17 the number of women elected — eight more than currently and the highest tally since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Almost a quarter of parliament’s seats were at stake in run-offs Friday in what was a crucial showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country’s future.

Although Iran’s parliament has marginal powers — under the country’s theocratic rule senior clerics can veto legislation — the result could open a delicate path to limited social and cultural change.

The return of reformists as a major force heralds a step change after an era of diplomatic clashes over Iran’s nuclear programme that, before Rouhani, had left the country isolated.

In stark contrast to the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency the election result should give him a parliament that supports his government. The outgoing conservative-dominated chamber repeatedly blocked Rouhani and even impeached one of his ministers.

The president’s backers made huge gains in the first round on February 26, in which hardliners critical of the nuclear deal were all but eliminated but reformists still scored eight fewer seats than conservatives overall.

Iran does not have rigid party affiliations, making election outcomes notoriously opaque. Some candidates were backed by both camps and others stood as independents.

Of the 68 seats being contested Friday, 33 went to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition and 21 to conservatives, according to the Fars news agency, an outlet close to conservatives.

That would give reformists 128 seats in the new 290-member parliament, 18 shy of a majority but more than their rivals’ 124 MPs. Remaining seats went to independents who could hold the balance the power. (READ: Iran elections: What it means)

A different parliament 

Another conservative news agency, Tasnim, said Rouhani’s allies had won 35 seats in the second round, which was needed because no candidate won the minimum 25 percent required in the first ballot.

 

Iran’s reformists have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social change and fewer political restrictions at home.

Their electoral gains in February came just six weeks after Tehran’s implementation of the nuclear deal.

Around 17 million citizens were eligible to vote Friday and polling took place in 21 provinces, but not the capital Tehran, as reformists won all of the capital’s 30 seats in the first round.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had urged a strong turnout, saying the vote was no less important than the first round.

Mohammad Reza Aref, a partly US-educated engineer and leader of the reformist pro-Rouhani List of Hope, has set a target of at least another 40 lawmakers.

Gains for the president’s allies will make legislative reforms more likely.

They could also buy time for Rouhani to try and turn around a struggling economy amid concern over the nuclear deal.

Iranian officials including Khamenei have complained that the United States is not honouring its commitments and is in fact taking steps to dissuade non-American banks to do business with Tehran.

Although the conservatives went backwards two months ago they did not change tack this time round, keeping up pressure over what they say is a silent agenda among reformists to give up the principles of the revolution.

“We hope that people in this round can have a parliament in line with the goals of Imam and the leadership by electing principlists,” said Gholam-Ali Hadad Adel, head of the conservative coalition.

He was referring to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor Khamenei, Iran’s ultimate authority with powers that far outweigh Rouhani, who was voted into office in a landslide in 2013.

Hadad Adel was a victim of the reformist surge in February, losing his own seat in Tehran. Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!