Hardliners leading Iran vote count
15/03/2008| IslamWeb
Hardliners allied with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, have taken a small lead in
But reformists showed strength in some cities where the clerical leadership allowed them to compete.
Results early on Saturday from 26 contests - a fraction of the 290 seats at stake - showed the hardliners winning 16 seats, reformists eight and moderate conservatives two, according to local officials.
Reformist leaders pushed for Iranians to vote on Friday, hoping to prevent a sweep by Ahmadinejad allies after the country's clerics threw many liberal candidates out of the race.
Vote or boycott
Nearly half the seats won by hardliners so far were in districts where no reformist candidates were running - a sign of the impact after reformist ranks were cut by the cleric-led Guardian Council.
The returns, mostly from smaller towns, were insufficient to determine any solid trend.
According to reformist leaders, their candidates were allowed to run in only around 90 of the races.
The unelected Guardian Council rejected some 1,700 candidates, most reformists, on grounds of insufficient loyalty to
Many Iranians who support liberal reforms spent Friday deliberating with friends and family, going back and forth between two options: vote and give legitimacy to an election many of them saw as unfair, or boycott and ensure an even stronger conservative domination of parliament.
In the end, Hesam Javadi, a 30-year-old computer technician, voted. "We can't stop the rain," he said after casting his ballot for reformists at a north
Fumbled efforts
IRNA, the official news agency, quoted interior ministry officials as saying that Friday's turnout was estimated between 55 to 65 per cent, up from the 51 per cent in 2004 elections.
Some 44 million Iranians of over 18 years of age across the country were eligible to vote. Reformists are hoping a strong turnout can win them a large enough minority bloc in parliament to at least have an impact after four years with only a small presence.
Perhaps the more crucial test will be of Ahmadinejad's support among conservatives. Some have become disillusioned with the president since he came to office in 2005 and have formed a slate of candidates competing against a list of supporters of the president.
If they do well, it could raise the chances Ahmadinejad will face a challenge from moderate conservatives in presidential elections next year.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,
Conservative critics say Ahmadinejad has fumbled efforts to fix the economy of this oil-rich nation - hit by high inflation and unemployment and fuel shortages.
PHOTO CAPTION
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad casts his ballot at a polling station in