Moderate candidates allied to President Hassan Rouhani came out strongest in a second round of parliamentary elections in Iran, unofficial results showed on Saturday, but they appeared unlikely to win an overall majority.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in
Islamabad, Pakistan, in this March 26, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Faisal
Mahmood/Files
DUBAI: Moderate candidates allied to President Hassan
Rouhani came out strongest in a second round of parliamentary elections
in Iran, unofficial results showed on Saturday, but they appeared
unlikely to win an overall majority.
The results, if confirmed, suggest Iran's next parliament
will be more supportive of Rouhani's drive for economic reforms, but
conservatives will remain a powerful force and could limit the prospects
for social change.
Iranians voted on Friday for 68 seats where no candidate had
won decisively in the first round, held in February. Rouhani's allies
made significant gains in the first round, ending conservative dominance
of the 290-seat assembly.
Unofficial results compiled by Iranian news agencies
suggested moderate candidates won around 30 of the 68 seats in the
second round, with the rest split between conservatives and
independents.
An unofficial Reuters tally of first-round results showed
moderates won about 90 seats, conservatives 112, and independents 29.
The figures are approximate because Iran does not have rigid party
affiliations and some candidates were backed by both camps.
If Saturday's unofficial results are borne out, neither the
moderates nor the conservatives will have a majority in the next
parliament, and independent candidates will determine the balance of
power.
Rouhani, who came to power in 2013 on a pledge to end his
country's global isolation, has seen his support increase since reaching
a nuclear deal with world powers last year, which resulted in the
lifting of international sanctions in January.
(Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Gareth Jones)
- Reuters
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