TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s parliamentary elections Friday turned into an internal battle between political hard-liners who support the populism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and those who blame him for policies that have led to high inflation, unemployment and fuel shortages.
The vote also was expected to further marginalize reformers, hundreds of whom were barred from the ballot for their political views by clerics and jurists in the Guardian Council. Reformers were hoping not to slip below the 50 members they now control in the 290-seat parliament. Their standing was weakened by the lack of a galvanizing voice such as that of former president Mohammad Khatami.
Official results aren’t expected until today, but analysts and government officials predicted a victory for the conservatives.
The nation’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had urged Iranians to vote and officials closely monitored balloting, fearing that a low turnout would embarrass the country internationally and underscore a rising dissatisfaction over the government’s handling of the economy.
Polls remained open an extra four hours. Recent surveys suggested 60 percent of Iran’s 43 million eligible would vote.
“The secret of survival for the nation is this oceanic presence (of voters) on the political scene,” Ahmadinejad said after casting his ballot. He added, referring to the U.S. and the West, “that this presence is a humiliation to our enemies.”
The campaign leading to the election revealed a split among political conservatives over the Iranian president. Ahmadinejad’s supporters, including ruling Islamic clerics, praise his defiance of the West and his tremendous appeal in the provinces. But others, such as former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, blame the president for what they regard as his overheated rhetoric toward the international community and his inability to solve the country’s financial problems despite a surge in oil prices.
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