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Iran's conservatives ahead

May 5, 2012

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's conservative rivals look set to have won a majority in the second round of parliamentary elections, according to state media.

https://p.dw.com/p/14qQa
An Iranian woman shows her ink finger after casting her vote, during the second round of parliamentary elections for the remaining 65 seats of its 290 seat Parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 4, 2012.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

In the second round of voting, conservative rivals of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad look set to win a majority after Friday's parliamentary elections. State media said that the conservative coalition, which is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, appeared to have secured 20 of the 65 seats up for grabs. Ahmadinejad's supporters only gained 8 seats, independents got 11 seats.

The results have not yet been officially confirmed. The coalition of conservatives, led by parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, gained a landslide victory in the first round of voting on March 2.

Larijani smiles in front of microphones on a podium
A landslide win for LarijaniImage: Mehr

Parliament has no say in Iran's foreign policy or nuclear policies, which is classified as a "state matter" and, under the constitution, decided by Khamenei. But parliament can influence the run-up to the election of Ahmadinejad's successor in 2013.

The differences between the parliament and Ahmadinejad were focused on domestic issues, such as the state of the economy.

Larijani criticized Ahmadinejad on election day for reported plans to increase petrol prices by 150 percent and natural gas by 200 percent to fill gaps in the budget.

ng/ipj (AP, dpa)