Partial outcomes of the Iran elections show that conservatives are ahead in the parliamentary race, as per the interior ministry.
About half of the reformists and moderates were banned from taking part in elections.
The conservative allies of the supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomenei are likely to win with the sizeable majority as vote counting has been started in Iran the day after the parliamentary election.
The voter turnout for the Iranian parliamentary elections is yet to be confirmed by the officials, but initial reports state that the conservatives side favoring Ayatollah Khomeini are set to win as announced by the interior ministry.
The state television reported, “So far, 42 seats of the parliament had been won outright by candidates”.
The names of the leading candidates for 30 parliamentary seats were announced by the media. All were loyal to Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf who is possibly the next speaker of the parliament.
The senior research fellow Abas Aslani told the news agency “While the official results of the parliamentary elections have not been announced yet, it is likely that conservatives are more likely to get a majority in the parliament and it seems like it will be a landslide victory”.
He maintained this will be “very important in the months to come” ahead of the presidential elections scheduled in the next year.
He added, “We already have the judiciary branch which is with the conservatives, and if the parliament goes more conservative, I think the executive branch, which is the presidency, they will be working very hard to get that too”.
About 16,033 half of the hopefuls were barred from participating in the elections. Mostly, moderates and reformists were disqualified from the election.
To boost their authority and strengthen their position against the US for continuing the nuclear program, Iranians required a higher voter turnout. However, this was sabotaged by the nationwide protests owing to perceived corruption and economic issues.
The supervisory body for the guardian council Abbasali Kadkhodai expected that the turnout would be no less than 50 percent, held at the state television that Iranians have disappointed their enemies by coming out in large numbers to elect their representatives.
The voter turnout was 66 percent and 62 percent in the parliamentary elections of 2012 and 2016 respectively.
The higher voter turnout is perceived as a referendum owing to Iran’s isolation in the international world along with the number of internal issues. Voting continued amid fear of the coronavirus as the number of infected persons reached 28.
The voting is not supposed to impact the foreign policy as Aslani told the news agency “I think they [conservatives] will support Iran’s current and existing policies in the region”. But “when it comes to the US, I think a more conservative parliament will oppose more direct negotiations at least for some time”.
The withdrawal of the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions, Iran’s economy is hard hit and the Irani population call for better economic facilities.–Worldwide News