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Conservatives ahead as Iran poll results trickle in

Conservatives took an early lead Saturday as the first results of Iran's parliamentary election came in, boosted by a predicted low turnout following the disqualification of nearly half the candidates.
Friday's election followed months of steeply escalating tensions between Iran and its decades-old arch-foe the United States.
Voters had been widely expected to shun the polls, disillusioned by unfulfilled promises and struggling to cope in a country whose economy has buckled under harsh US sanctions.
About half of the 16,000-odd candidates were disqualified. Among them were many reformist and moderate candidates -- including dozens of sitting MPs -- leaving conservatives with virtually no competition.
By midday (0830 GMT) Saturday, votes had been counted in 71 constituencies out of 208, according to National Elections Committee figures reported by semi-official news agency ISNA.
Tehran is the biggest catch in the election with 30 seats.
The conservative and ultra-conservative alliance appeared to have a comfortable edge in the capital in early results, the committee's spokesman Esmail Mousavi said on state television.
Most votes went to the first three names on the alliance's list, he said.
Leading the race was Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a three-time presidential candidate, former police chief and member of the Revolutionary Guards who was Tehran mayor from 2005 to 2017.
Reformists and moderates hardly figured in the 37 other names of "leading Tehran candidates", Mousavi said.
Final results for both the capital and other provinces would be announced by early Sunday at the latest, he added.
If the results are confirmed, it will mean President Hassan Rouhani's slender majority of reformists and moderates elected with fanfare four years ago is nearly purged.
"A lot of people voted in the previous parliamentary election, but the enthusiasm faded away every day after that," Ali, a Tehran taxi driver, told AFP.
"And now there's nothing to be hopeful about to go and vote," added the 53-year-old, who abstained.
With official figures still coming in, news agencies close to conservatives and ultra-conservatives have predicted a landslide win for their candidates across Iran.
An unofficial tally published by Fars news agency said 183 of parliament's 290 seats had already been decided, with conservative candidates winning 135 of them.
Reformists were a distant second at 20, it said, adding independents had won 28 seats.
Fars tweeted that turnout in Tehran was 1.9 million out of more than nine million eligible voters.
Many in the capital seem to have sat out the election, including Arghavan Aram, who manages an NGO for transsexuals.
"An election with only one faction is not an election, it's a selection," she said.
But Aram appeared optimistic for a future where "Trump leaves, Democrats come to power alongside a moderate supreme leader" in Iran and things would change.
The state television website said that among 56 winners announced on Saturday, most were fresh faces and only 10 were former MPs.
The 11th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution comes after a surge in tensions between Tehran and Washington, and Iran's accidental downing of a Ukrainian airliner that sparked anti-government protests.
Turnout was estimated at around 40 percent nationwide and 30 percent in Tehran at the scheduled close of polls on Friday, according to Fars.
But authorities extended polling for another six hours to allow as many people as possible to vote.
Fars said the official turnout figure would be released on Saturday, while official results are not expected to be announced until Sunday.
Schools were closed in dozens of urban centers on Saturday while the count went ahead.
Iran fell into a deep recession after US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions following Washington's unilateral withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018.
source: AFP
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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