IRAN: The hard-liner script

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Iran’s parliamentary elections appear to have followed the script written by hard-liners and clerics. Conservatives are expected to win 71% of the Parliament’s 290 seats — an indication that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has broadened his support, according to preliminary figures released Saturday by the country’s Interior Ministry.

Reformists stood little chance in Friday’s voting. Hundreds of their members, including high-profile candidates, were stricken from the ballot by clerics and jurists in the Guardian Council. The council accused many reformists of not upholding the traditions of the Islamic revolution. Still, some estimates suggest reformists could hang on to 44 of the 50 seats they now hold in the legislature.

The political gamesmanship will be focused on two factions within the conservative camp — one that supports Ahmadinejad and the other that blames him for the nation’s high inflation and unemployment. One of those opposed to the president, Ali Larijani, Iran’s former chief nuclear negotiator, was elected to parliament with more than 75% of the vote. Voter turnout was estimated at nearly 65%, which authorities described as a ‘glorious’ defeat for the U.S. and other Western enemies. Final official results are expected Monday.

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— Jeffrey Fleishman in Tehran