Iran’s conservatives are heading for a large overall majority in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results, an outcome that reflects frustration with collapsing living standards and the apparent dead end of engagement with the west.
It means strong supporters of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will control all the main levers of power in Iran except for the presidency. The reformists, elected four years ago on a ticket of engagement with the west, had been the largest party in parliament but found many of their proposals blocked by other centres of power in Iran, notably the Guardian Council.
The deadline for closing the 55,000 polling booths on Friday was repeatedly extended, with pro-government sources claiming the polls were kept open until midnight to cope with high turnout. Government opponents said officials had been hoping a last-minute rush might mask a voter boycott in the big cities caused by disillusionment with Iranian politics. With 42 of the 290 seats declared, four-fifths had fallen to conservatives. The run-up to the election, dismissed as a farce by the US government, had been marked by the mass disqualification of the best-known reformist candidates. Some, such as Ali Motahari, nevertheless turned out to vote in Tehran in protest against Donald Trump.
Overall turnout in Tehran was heading to an unimpressive 22 percent, unofficial estimates showed. The national turnout was close to 40 percent, down from 62 percent in 2016.
Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor of political science at Tehran University, said: “When 70 percent and in some big cities up to 80 percent of the people did not vote, and on the most optimistic assessment the victor won 50 percent of those voting, especially in the big cities, is this a moment for congratulation and honour?”
Sayad Hassan Alavi, part of the independent grouping in parliament, said: “Considering the backdrop of falling living standards and the rise in petrol prices, the turnout was not that bad. When there is no money there is no reason and people feel alienated. The government should receive the message of this election.” -theguardian.com