Iran parliamentary elections: conservatives win control

A partial count of the results of the parliamentary elections held in Iran on Mar. 2 shows conservative supporters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei winning control of parliament over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s backers, the Associated Press reported.

More from GlobalPost: Hardliners face off in Iranian parliamentary elections

The results are in for more than 200 of 290 seats, and conservatives have won more than half the seats, Iran's state-run Press TV news agency said today, according to Voice of America. Iran's government said run-off elections will be required to determine the winners of 30 seats, VOA reported.

Voters were angered by Ahmadinejad challenging Khamenei’s authority to direct foreign policy and intelligence last year, the AP reported.

Few reformist candidates ran for parliament, following a crackdown on their activities since they protested Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009, the AP reported. Only one reformist has been elected so far – Alireza Mahjoub in Tehran, VOA reported.

According to the AP:

Although the 290-seat parliament holds little control over policy matters such as Iran's nuclear program, the win by hard-liners looked to reinforce Iran's stiff rejection of Western pressure to stop its uranium enrichment program.

Iran's government said the turnout rate for the election was 64 percent, VOA reported. Full election results are due Monday.