[New York Times] Nazila Fathi - Conservative politicians close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to tighten their grip on power in Iran as the government on Monday announced final results of the first round of parliamentary elections. Conservatives controlled about three-quarters of the more than 200 races decided so far in the 290-seat Parliament, said the Interior Ministry. The winners of the remaining seats will be determined in runoff elections in May. None of the 35 reformists who took seats are prominent politicians. 154 members of the previous Parliament were either kept off the ballot or lost their races. The European Union, in a statement issued Friday in Brussels, denounced the election as "neither fair nor free."
2008-03-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive