Early counts show conservatives lead in Iranian parliamentary election

Iran’s conservatives were leading in an initial vote count in the capital, Tehran, after a record low turnout in the parliamentary election.

Officials have yet to release turnout figures but state news agency Irna said yesterday that it was 41 per cent, based on unofficial reports.

In the last parliamentary election in 2019, only 42 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots in what was considered to be the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Early results showed that conservatives had won Tehran’s 30 seats but with votes tallied manually, counting is expected to take time.

Under the country’s constitution, the Parliament has a variety of roles, including overseeing the executive branch and voting on treaties. In practice, absolute power in Iran rests with its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Participation in Iran’s elections on Friday drew a low turnout despite extended voting hours. About 61 million Iranians were eligible to vote, including 3.5 million first-time voters, Irna reported.

However, only about 25 million people voted, meaning a turnout of about 40 per cent, the Tasnim news agency said, quoting reports in unofficial media.

Several reformists boycotted the election.

Authorities twice extended voting hours on Friday to keep polling centres open until midnight in the first national election since mass anti-government protests caused by the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police in September 2022.

Leaders had called on Iranians to vote in large numbers, with Mr Khamenei warning that the world was watching the election.

“Onlookers from all over observe the affairs of our country; make friends happy and ill-wishers disappointed,” he said while casting his vote in the capital.

The election was held at a time when Iranians are struggling with soaring inflation and amid heightened regional tension linked to the Israel-Gaza war.

Iranians were also voting for the Assembly of Experts, a powerful body that elects the supreme leader.

Several winners of parliamentary and assembly seats emerged on Saturday morning from early counts, Tasnim said.

Candidates for parliament are vetted by the Guardian Council, whose members are appointed or approved by the supreme leader. They approved 15,200 candidates out of about 49,000 applicants to run for seats in the 290-member chamber.

Analysts expect conservatives and ultra-conservatives, who won 232 out 290 seats in the 2020 election after reformist and moderate candidates were disqualified, to dominate in this election.

Conservatives are also expected to maintain a firm grip on the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body exclusively made up of male Islamic scholars.