Conservatives dominate as Iran vote counting under way
World
Conservative candidates have swept the parliamentary, religious assembly
TEHRAN (Wed Desk) – A range of conservative candidates have swept the parliamentary and religious assembly elections in Iran as the country faces political and economic challenges.
Final vote counting is under way after millions went to the polls on Friday to select 290 lawmakers and 88 members of the Assembly of Experts, a body tasked with choosing the supreme leader made up entirely of Islamic scholars.
Official preliminary results from Tehran on Saturday indicate that ultraconservatives Mahmoud Nabavian and Hamid Resaee have topped the list of 30 representatives, followed by 35-year-old state television host turned first-time lawmaker, Amir Hossein Sabeti.
Parliament chief Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf finished fourth, and only a handful of his sponsored candidates ascended. Longtime lawmaker Mojtaba Zonnour grabbed a seat in the holy Shia city of Qom.
Few reformist or moderate voices managed to secure entry into parliament, marking the second parliamentary election in which they were largely absent.
Veteran lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian was among few moderates who managed to get approved by the constitutional watchdog Guardian Council and secure votes, and will represent Tabriz in the 12th parliament.
Ali Motahari, conservative former parliamentarian and son of renowned late scholar Morteza Motahari, who has become a more moderate politician compared with other legislators, failed along with most members of his 30-strong list for Tehran to come close to securing a seat.
President Ebrahim Raisi comfortably renewed his place at the Assembly of Experts for a third time, securing more than 82 percent of the vote in the South Khorasan province located in eastern Iran.
The president was initially running without any opponent after the Guardian Council disqualified other candidates, but one candidate ended up changing his district to ceremonially run against Raisi for a place in the sixth term of the assembly, which will last till mid-3032.
Ultraconservative Ahmad Khatami, a current imam of Friday prayers in Tehran, has again secured a place at the assembly from the province of Kerman, and Mohammad Saeedi is Qom’s representative.
Local media said with over 834,000 votes, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the supreme leader’s representative in Tabriz, recorded the highest number of votes ever for an assembly winner, emerging victorious in the province of East Azerbaijan.
Sadegh Amoli Larijani, a senior member of the influential Larijani family and current head of the top arbitration body known as the Expediency Council, was perhaps the most notable snub from the assembly.
Candidates have until Thursday to formally declare any complaints, Guardian Council spokesman Tahan Nazif said on Saturday.
