If the configuration of the results across the country does not change dramatically by the time the counting of votes is finished, possibly on Monday, moderate and reformist forces will have a strong minority like hardliners.
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Saeed Leylaz, a political analyst and economist who served as an adviser to former President Mohammad Khatami, said initial indications were beyond reformist expectations.
In this photo released by official website of the office of Iranian Presidency, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani addresses election officials in Tehran, Jan. 21, 2016.
That agreement led to the dismantling of much of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions on the country, and there has already been a wave of foreign investment in the Iran as a result, as well as an overall significant improvement for the country’s economic outlook. “It is beyond expectations”, he added.
In Tehran, many voters had saved a list of their favourite candidates on their mobile phone.
Iranian voters queue for getting ballot papers during the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections in a polling station in Tehran, Iran on Friday. Both bodies have been in the hands of hardliners for years.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader who has final say on all state matters, was among the first to vote in the capital, Tehran.
Until now, the contest for this seat of clerical power was an unremarkable event, but not now. Because of 76-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s age, his successor could well be among those elected this week. The next leader could well be among those elected this week.
Stating that Iran and Switzerland should find a joint solution to resolve regional issues and put an end to terrorism, Schneider-Ammann said that Islamic Republic of Iran and Switzerland can have good cooperation with each other in this regard. Almost always at the centre of Iran’s intricate webs of power, the arch-fixer is famous for his pragmatism and political acumen.
The 88-seat Assembly has the task of choosing Iran’s highest authority, the supreme leader.
“Depriving the hard-liners of one seat in the parliament and Assembly of Experts is better than nothing”, he said.
Mesbah-Yazdi is a fierce critic of reformists and has even advocated violence against its supporters. Ahmadinejad’s victory in 2005 sealed the movement’s downfall.
After votes were cast Friday, Iran started the process of counting of tens of millions of ballots on Saturday.
The final results from the elections are expected on Monday.
Amiri said some cities would have to conduct run-off votes because no single candidate had achieved the minimum threshold of 25 percent support. Women constitute about eight percent of the MPs in Iran. None of Iran’s three main political camps – reformist, conservative and hardline – was expected to capture a majority, but the reformist camp is on track for its best showing in more than a decade.
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Both the elections are equally important for Iran and its people, said Reza Marashi, research director at the National Iranian American Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization promoting greater understanding between Americans and Iranians. He did not elaborate.
