AFTER Iran's parliamentary elections, what is impressive to Iranians is the large turnout of voters rather than the surprisingly victory of the hardliners. For months in Iran, the real challenge in this year's elections has been the factor of participation rather than the outcome for winners and losers. The regime in Iran is boasting that the turnout of 64 per cent (vs 50 per cent in earlier elections) is proof of its legitimacy and a defeat for Iran's foes both internal and external. The liberal opposition was nowhere in evidence, and non-stop attempts by US and Israel using always Iran's nuclear program as a pretext to hit at the country's theocratic regime merely consolidated the conservatives' position. Though no final results have yet to be announced, early signs showed Iran's new parliament as dominated by conservatives who mainly support leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reaping 75 per cent of the vote for the 290 seats. This result was only natural given that Friday's vote was a contest between conservative hardliners split into pro-Khamenei and pro-Ahmadinejad camps. Pro-reformists were left on the margins, as their two main leaders, Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, have been under house arrest since their participation in presidential elections in 2009. Pro-reform politicians, including reformist former president Mohamed Khatami, decided to keep a low profile by not introducing a unified list of candidates, saying their demand for a free and fair election had not been met. Half the coming Majlis are new faces who are coming in on an "independent" ticket, and whose inclinations and affiliations whether supporters or critics of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are yet to be tested. However, it appears that the fiery president's power will be curbed somewhat. Ahmadinejad could be reduced to a lame duck after he sowed divisions by challenging the authority of Khamenei in the governing hierarchy. State television said 130 candidates were going to compete in run-offs next month for 65 seats in 33 constituencies. Only five candidates in Tehran, which witnessed the lowest turnout, appear to have got past the 25 per cent threshold to win one of the capital's 30 seats in the first round, according to Iranian news reports. Among the losers was Parvin Ahmadinejad, a sister of the president who lost in their hometown of Garmsar, which added weight to reports that loyal supporters of the president -- whose aides have been charged with leading a deviant current -- were trounced.
