Partial results appeared to suggest hardliners are poised to maintain their grip on parliament, while prominent moderates and conservatives stayed away from Friday's election and reformists described it as neither free nor fair, largely a contest between hardliners and reserved conservatives , those loyal to Islam were revolutionary ideals.
Mohammad Khatami, Iran's first reformist president, was among the critics who did not vote on Friday.
Jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, a women's rights advocate, called the election a “sham” in a statement her family shared with Portal.
State news agency IRNA reported that unofficial reports put voter turnout at over 25 million, or about 41% of eligible voters.
The Hamshahri newspaper called the turnout “a 25 million slap in the face” to calls for a boycott of the election, writing a front-page headline alongside a depiction of a ballot punching US President Joe Biden in the face.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Iran's “enemies” – a term he usually uses for the United States and Israel – of trying to sow desperation among Iranian voters.
“The Silent Majority” was the front-page headline of Ham Mihan, a pro-reform newspaper, which put turnout at around 40%.
The Interior Ministry may announce the official turnout later on Saturday. If confirmed, voter turnout would be the lowest since the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979.
Iran's voter turnout fell to 42.5% in the 2020 parliamentary elections from about 62% in 2016.
More than 15,000 candidates ran for the 290-seat parliament on Friday. The poll was tied to a vote for the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, an influential body tasked with choosing the 84-year-old Khamenei's successor.
The Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi was re-elected to the Assembly of Experts with 82.5% of the vote.
Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who was elected president with overwhelming victories in 2013 and 2017 and promised to reduce Iran's diplomatic isolation, was barred from running, sparking criticism from moderates.