Hard-liners take early edge in Iran vote

TEHRAN, Iran, Saturday, AP - Hard-liners allied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a small lead in Iran's parliamentary elections, according to partial results early today, but reformists showed strength in some cities where the clerical leadership allowed them to compete.

Reformist leaders pushed for Iranians to vote yesterday, hoping to prevent a sweep by Ahmadinejad allies after the country's clerics threw many liberal candidates out of the race. Results early today from 32 contests – a fraction of the 290 seats at stake – showed the hard-liners winning 19 seats, reformists eight and moderate conservatives five, according to results compiled from local officials speaking to The Associated Press and reports from the official IRNA and semi-official Fars news agencies.

Nearly half the seats won by hard-liners so far were in districts where no reformist candidates were running _ a sign of the impact after reformist ranks were dramatically cut by the cleric-led Guardian Council. The returns, mostly from smaller towns, were insufficient to determine any solid trend.

Reformist candidates were running in only about half of the races nationwide, according to nationwide lists of candidates, though some reformist leaders earlier said they were in 90 races. The unelected Guardian Council rejected some 1,700 candidates, most reformists, on grounds of insufficient loyalty to Islam or Iran's 1979 revolution.

Many Iranians who support liberal reforms spent Friday deliberating with friends and family, going back and forth between two options: vote and give legitimacy to an election many of them saw as unfair, or boycott and ensure an even stronger conservative domination of parliament. In the end, Hesam Javadi, a 30-year-old computer technician, voted.

''We can't stop the rain,'' he said after casting his ballot for reformists at a north Tehran polling station. ''But we can at least put an umbrella over our heads in self-defense.'' IRNA quoted Interior Ministry officials as saying that the turnout was estimated between 55 to 65 percent, up from the 51 percent in 2004 elections.

Some 44 million Iranians above 18 years of age across the country were eligible to vote. Reformists are hoping a strong turnout can win them a large enough minority bloc in parliament to at least have an impact. The outgoing parliament has about 40 reformists.

Perhaps the more crucial test will be of Ahmadinejad's support among conservatives. Some have become disillusioned with the president since he came to office in 2005 and have formed a slate of candidates competing against a list of supporters of the president.

If they do well, it could raise the chances of Ahmadinejad having to face a challenge from moderate conservatives in presidential elections next year. Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, often touted as a possible candidate for president, is said to back the list of Ahmadinejad's critics.

In one key race, Ali Larijani -- the former top nuclear negotiator, who stepped down after differences with Ahmadinejad -- won a seat in the clerical city of Qom, the Fars news agency said. Some have speculated the conservative Larijani will run for president in 2009.