As expected, an alliance of ultra-conservative candidates is leading the parliamentary elections in Iran. According to initial results, the list of “administrators” led by hard-liner Hamid Rassai won 17 of the 30 seats in Tehran.
The current speaker of parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who ran for another conservative group, also secured a mandate, according to the state broadcaster.
Low turnout in Tehran
Even before that, despite calls from spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, voter turnout had been low. According to the Mehr news agency, voter turnout in Tehran was just 24%, according to unofficial results.
According to initial results, 41 percent of voters went to the polls nationwide – a historically low turnout. The numbers cannot be independently verified.
Some 61 million people were called upon to elect a new parliament and the Council of Experts, an influential body of Islamic clerics. Numerous critical candidates were excluded by the Guardian Council before the elections.