Iranians vote in a parliamentary runoff election after hard-liners dominate initial balloting

AP News-May11th2024

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians voted Friday in a runoff election for the remaining seats in the country’s parliament after hard-line politicians dominated March balloting.

Voting was extended for four hours because it was a weekend holiday.

The official IRNA news agency said that counting began immediately after polls closed. Final results were expected by Monday, though counts in smaller constituencies will likely will be announced sooner.

People in 22 constituencies across the country voted to elect 45 representatives from a pool of 90 candidates, 15 of whom are considered moderate.

In the capital, Tehran, 16 representatives will be chosen from 32 candidates, all hard-liners.

Iran’s parliament plays a secondary role in governing the country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say in all important state matters.

State television showed Khamenei voting on Friday immediately after the polls opened. He urged people to vote and said the runoff election was as important as the main one.