Unofficial results from Iran’s parliamentary run-off election show that reformist and moderate politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won more seats than their conservative rivals, and will likely have control over the legislature.
Iranians began voting Friday to fill the 68 seats that no candidate won decisively in the first round of voting, held back in February. During the first election, reformist politicians won a majority of the seats where there was a clear winner.
Of the 68 seats up for grabs, the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition won 33 while conservative politicians won 21, according to Iranian state media. The rest of the seats are still being contested.
Final results are expected to be announced later Saturday.
If the outcome is officially confirmed, it would mark a dramatic shift in Iranian politics, with conservatives outnumbered by their more moderate colleagues for the first time since 2004.
With the wins Friday, reformists will see their numbers swell to 128 seats in the 290-member legislature. While slightly short of an outright majority, they would outnumber the 124 seats held by conservatives and wield more power to make reforms to the Islamic republic’s policy.
