Iranians participated in a runoff election on Friday to fill the remaining seats in the country's parliament following a previous election dominated by hard-line politicians. Voters in 22 constituencies across Iran had the opportunity to elect 45 representatives from a pool of 90 candidates, including 15 considered moderate.
In Tehran, the capital, 16 representatives were to be chosen from 32 candidates, all of whom were hard-liners. Final results are anticipated to be announced on Monday, with counts in smaller constituencies likely to be revealed earlier.
Iran's parliament, while having a role in governing the country, holds a secondary position as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the ultimate authority in all significant state matters. Khamenei himself cast his vote on Friday immediately after the polls opened, encouraging citizens to participate and emphasizing the importance of the runoff election.
In the initial March election, hard-liners secured 200 out of 245 seats, while more moderate candidates claimed the remaining 45. The voter turnout for the election was approximately 41%, with a total of 25 million ballots cast. This marked a slight decrease from the previous parliamentary election in 2020, which had a turnout of 42%.
Notably, politicians advocating for governmental change, broadly known as reformists, were largely excluded from running in the election. Additionally, those advocating for radical reforms or the abandonment of Iran's theocratic system either refrained from registering as candidates or were prohibited from participating.
