Hardliners lead in elections in Iranian capital Hardliners lead in elections in Iranian capital

As expected, an alliance of ultra-conservative candidates is in charge of Iran’s parliamentary elections. According to initial results, the list of “trustees” with hardliner Hamid Rassai at the top won 17 of Tehran’s 30 seats, as state radio reported on Saturday. The group is an arch-conservative alliance. The incumbent speaker of parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who ran for another conservative group, also secured the mandate.

Unofficial results showed turnout in Tehran was only 24 percent, according to Mehr news agency. According to the first results, 41 percent of voters went to the polls nationally – a historically poor turnout. The figures cannot be independently verified.

About 61 million people were called on Friday to elect a new parliament (Majles) and the Council of Experts, an influential body of Muslim clerics. In Iran, candidates do not compete with parties, but organize themselves through lists. In Tehran, for example, thirty seats are elected for the National Assembly, and the alliances each nominate thirty candidates.

The Islamic Republic’s political system has combined theocratic and republican elements since the 1979 revolution. The 290 seats in parliament are elected by the people every four years. The so-called Guardian Council, an ultra-conservative monitoring body, decides on the ideological suitability of politicians. This usually only allows citizens to choose from a group of candidates who are loyal to the system.

Numerous critical candidates were excluded before the elections by the so-called Guardian Council. The population is disillusioned by the failed reform attempts of recent decades. Many people did not want to vote. (sda/dpa)