Larijani Reelected Majlis Speaker

Ali Larijani was reelected speaker of the Parliament on Wednesday, for the eleventh consecutive year.
Larijani won 147 out of 279 ballots cast during open session of the Majlis, while his challenger , the reformist Mohammad Reza Aref, got 123 votes, IRNA reported.
Larjiani, a moderate conservative, has managed to retain the speakership for over a decade, despite growing support for pro-reform politics in recent years.
His leverage in the chamber is partly due to his declared support for the nuclear deal Iran signed with the six world powers in 2015, which many hardliners vehemently opposed and subsequently lost their seats in parliamentary elections one year later.