Iran vote: Rouhani's reformist allies seek control of parliament

[poweRob]

Keep shifting left towards reform and away from theocracy Iran! I hope they pull this off this election.

Iran vote: Rouhani's reformist allies seek control of parliament

Voting was extended Friday in second round elections for almost a quarter of the seats in Iran's parliament, a crucial showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

The polls will decide who has the most power when lawmakers are sworn in next month, opening or potentially closing a path to social and political change in the Islamic republic.

Tension over the vote's high stakes was underlined by a shooting involving supporters of rival candidates in a southern province, a security official said. The rare incident of political violence left four people wounded.

Iran's reformists -- who have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social reforms at home -- are allied with President Hassan Rouhani's government and made major gains in the first round on February 26.​

 

[TheDemSocialist]

I hope they can pull it off!

Maybe one day they can make enough progress to even allow secular parties!

 

[poweRob]

I hope they can pull it off!

Maybe one day they can make enough progress to even allow secular parties!

If they pull this off, they are headed for a showdown with the Mullahs eventually over control of the country.

 

[MrT]

I hope they can pull it off!

Maybe one day they can make enough progress to even allow secular parties!

Perhaps they may be able to move Iran back to a time like that before the United States forced them onto a path towards Theocracy.

 

[OrphanSlug]

Am I the only one that sees the collision course two very opposing factions of the nation are on? We are not talking about some peaceful conclusion, and Iran has been here before. We are literally talking about a group looking for international relations and a more moderate social climate *right up against* an extremely fanatical group bent on hatred for all things not Iran (including all of the West, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.)

 

[TheDemSocialist]

Perhaps they may be able to move Iran back to a time like that before the United States forced them onto a path towards Theocracy.

One would hope!

 

[poweRob]

They fell three seats short of a majority but made great gains in parliament.

The BBC says "supporters of President Hassan Rouhani won 42% of the total seats - short of an outright majority but comfortable enough to pass his legislative plans." The New York Times is reporting a similar margin, saying "the reformists and moderate supporters of Mr. Rouhani hold 122 seats in the 290-member Parliament."

According to The Associated Press, moderates and reformists now hold 143 seats in the assembly – followed by the hardliners with 86 seats and the independents with 61. The wire service says Rouhani supporters finished three seats short of a majority.

"Expect a Parliament with a slightly friendlier tone, but also many political crises," Farshad Ghorbanpour, a political analyst with ties to the government, tells the Times.

With no one group commanding an outright majority, it's likely that many key decisions will come down to independent candidates.

That could mean a period of "combative politics in which Rouhani's government is likely to enjoy more support than in the past, but will by no means have a free hand," Reuters reports.

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