Iranians cast their votes in vital poll

Election is regarded as make-or-break affair

TEHRAN: Millions of Iranians voted in elections yesterday that could shift the balance of power within the Islamic elite by ushering in a reformist comeback or help conservatives tighten their grip on power.

The contest is seen by some analysts as a make-or-break moment that could shape the future for the next generation, in a country where nearly 60 percent of the 80 million population is under 30.

Participation appeared enthusiastic and relaxed in the first polls since a nuclear deal last year led to a lifting of sanctions and deeper diplomatic engagement abroad.

Authorities extended voting by two hours, citing a rush of people wanting to cast their ballot.

An hour before the original expiry of voting, there were still long queues outside polling stations in the capital, and state television showed throngs of voters in Ahvaz and Shiraz. It was unclear how the turnout might shape the outcome.

“Whoever likes Iran and its dignity, greatness and glory should vote. Iran has enemies. They are eyeing us greedily,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after casting his ballot, in a reference to Western powers.

At stake is control of the 290- seat parliament and the 88- member Assembly of Experts, the body that has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, Iran’s most powerful figure. Both are in the hands of hardliners.

During its next eight-year term it could name the successor to Khamenei, who is 76 and has been in power since 1989.

Control of parliament will influence the ability of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, constrained so far, to deliver on his promises of greater freedoms and economic reforms – as well as his own chances of re-election next year.

The Guardian Council, appointed half by Khamenei and half by the ultra-conservative judiciary, disqualified thousands of candidates for the legislature and vetoed 80 percent of those seeking election to the Assembly of Experts.

They included Hassan Khomeini, the moderate grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution and Khamenei’s predecessor.

Responses from voters at polling stations in Tehran suggested the electorate is polarised between conservatives who want to preserve the austere ideals of the Islamic revolution and its ruling system and moderates or reformists who want a faster opening to the world in the wake of the nuclear deal.

Supporters of Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal and is likely to seek a second presidential term, are pitted against hardlines opposed to detente with the West.

Rouhani said the government would spare no effort to protect people’s votes and ensure healthy and legitimate elections.

The opposition website Kaleme said without elaborating that turnout was higher than in previous elections.

While reformists saw a high turnout as an opportunity for change, conservatives said it showed widespread popular support for the Islamic Republic’s political system.

The Kaleme website reported that opposition cleric Mehdi Karoubi cast a ballot for the first time since being put under house arrest in 2011,but this was later denied.

A mobile ballot box was taken to his home, where he has been confined for five years.

Karoubi and fellow reformist Mirhossein Mousavi, both in their seventies, ran for election in June 2009.

They became figureheads for many Iranians, who protested against a contest they believed was rigged to bring back President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the official winner.

The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday all Iranians would be able to vote.

Influential former president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, allied to Rouhani, said Iranians knew this was a day of destiny.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led nuclear talks with world powers, said while voting at the Jamaran mosque in northern Tehran that Iranians would continue to support policies that brought about the nuclear deal.

“The message to the international community from this election is the Iranians are solidly behind their government,” he said.

Hundreds of onlookers cheered Khomeini when he arrived to vote at Jamaran, witnesses said.

Supporters of the reformist and moderate candidates barred by the Guardian Council have called on voters to back Rouhani’s allies and keep the conservatives out.

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.

Counting started last evening and some small constituencies could declare today, an electoral official said.

Full results are expected early next week.

But it could take longer to get a clear picture of who has come out on top, as the numerous small parties and independent candidates form alliances and declare their allegiance. – Reuters