960421

Conservatives'

landslied victory

in Tehran polls

TEHRAN: Islamic rightwing candidates romped home to a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Tehran sweeping 23 of the 30 seats alloted for the capital according to final results announced Sunday. Based on interior ministry figures, around 1.4 million people voted in Tehran in the run-offs on Friday, against 2.4 million in the first round on March 8.

Islamic moderates close to President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani failed to earn even a single seat in the second round. But Faezeh Hashemi, Rafsanjani's daughter and a moderate, was elected in the first round.

Islamic leftwingers, who had been sidelined in the past several years, made a strong comeback winning six seats for Tehran alone.

Leftwing had entered a coalition with the moderates to break conservative monopoly on the assembly.

The results in Tehran reflect a general conservative triumph over their main moderate rivals, which ran under the name of "Servants of Construction."

The Association of Militant Clergy, a grouping of influential conservative clergymen, and associated rightwing groups swept the majority of seats and was assured an absolute majority in the assembly.-AFP