Iran’s Interior Ministry: Election Turnout 33mln So Far

An Iranian woman casts her ballot during elections for the parliament and Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, in Tehran on February 26.

The first results from Iran’s parliamentary election on Saturday showed a split of seats among conservatives, reformists and independent candidates, media reports said, after turnout of around 60 percent.

The right to vote remains contentious in Iran because although more time was given in a 2009 presidential election, whose outcome was disputed, many voters said polling station doors were closed while they were still queueing outside. Polls were scheduled to close at 6 p.m., but the Interior Ministry said it would extend voting time until 11.45 p.m.in the capital.

President Hassan Rouhani casts his vote in the ballot box. Many of those lists were blue, the color of the reformist-moderate faction, while others had the yellow lists put out by hard-liners.

“We have stepped up border surveillance and security ahead of the elections with some great results”, said Zolfaqari, who noted that “The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the Law Enforcement Police, and the Intelligence Ministry have in the past few days managed to arrest several counter-revolutionaries in eastern regions”.

In the end, the reformist camp says it has about 200 candidates in the running – with a slogan of “hope, stability and economic prosperity”.

Iran’s parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections will ta… Specifically, Faezeh Rafsanjani is backing Mohammad Reza Aref, who served as vice president from 2001-2005 under reformist president Mohammad Khatami.

Three Republican lawmakers were blocked from visiting Iran to view the nation’s parliamentary elections Friday, which they are claiming is a sign that Tehran is afraid of outside monitoring.

“Everyone must vote, those who love Iran, those who like the Islamic republic, those who love the grandeur and glory of Iran”, said Khamenei, who backed Rouhani’s nuclear talks but has continued to rail against U.S. influence.

Iran’s reformers and their moderate allies were bidding to win at least 100 seats in parliament on Friday during a crucial election that could weaken the grip of hardliners.

“I hope all Iranians feel responsibility to participate and form a magnificent and healthy election today”, he added and underlined “voting will continue for 10 hours however extensions are possible”.

If the experts’ assembly is called on to choose a successor to Khamenei, its decision could set the Islamic Republic’s course for years or even decades to come.

The nuclear deal has been the centerpiece of Rouhani’s policies since he was elected in 2013 – and the sealing of the deal won Iran the lifting of most worldwide sanctions against it. Throughout, he and the negotiating team had to push against hard-liner opposition.

Throughout the 12-year standoff that preceded the deal, Iran always denied wanting nuclear weapons, saying its activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes such as power generation.