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Gov’t Allies Make Major Electoral Gains

Gov’t Allies Make Major Electoral Gains
Gov’t Allies Make Major Electoral Gains

The latest returns for the Majlis polls released by the Interior Ministry indicate pro-government groups allied with reformists have reaped major gains.

According to the ministry's statements on Sunday, the final results for 52 constituencies, constituting one-fourth of the total, show that principlists, independents and an alliance of reformists and government backers have received nearly equal shares of the ballot.

In these constituencies, 36% of votes belong to principlists, 32% to independents and 32% to reformists and government backers.

Since the last three parliaments were dominated by principlists, the results for the current parliamentary polls can be considered a considerable achievement for reformists and their pro-government allies.

The reformist camp lost some of its heavyweight hopefuls for the legislative poll in the vetting process by the Guardians Council, which encouraged them to form an alliance with government backers to increase its chance of defeating rival principlists.

There are 207 constituencies involved in the 290-seat Majlis vote, of which the largest share of seats is reserved for the capital city Tehran with 30.

In constituencies where the winners cannot garner the minimum tally of 25% of votes, a runoff will be held in April.

For Tehran, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday noon that from the 2.75 million votes counted so far, the head of Reformist Policymaking Council, Mohammad Reza Aref, leads the race, followed by Ali Motahhari, an independent figure who led Voice of Nation's list of candidates and was also featured in the candidates' list of reformist and government backers.

Some big names included in the list are sitting lawmakers Alireza Mahjoub and Kazem Jalali, former lawmakers Soheila Jelodarzadeh and Elias Hazrati, along with the leader of Democracy Party Mostafa Kavakebian.

No principlist figures are among the top 30 candidates, which mean a crushing defeat for them in the capital.

Former Majlis speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel, who led the list of Principlist candidates, ranked 31st.

Secretary of Elections Headquarters Ali Pour-Ali said in an interview with IRNA on Sunday afternoon the final result for Majlis elections will probably be announced by the end of Sunday.

For the Assembly of Experts, the ministry announced the latest results for Tehran's constituency Sunday evening.

In the list of leading candidates, Chairman of Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani tops all candidates and is followed by Tehran's interim Friday prayers leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani, and President Hassan Rouhani.

Chairman of Combatant Clergy Association Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi-Kermani and the head of Guardians Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati are other prominent figures on the list.

 

Financialtribune.com