AL JAZEERA (TEHRAN)-Iranians are voting in the second round of legislative elections which Al-Jazeera expects to further tighten the conservatives' grip on parliament. Around 21 million people are eligible to vote on Friday, 25 April 2008 to choose MPs (Members of Parliament) for the 82
seats in the 290-seat chamber which were not decided outright in the first round on 14 March 2008. The reformists' chances over the two rounds were harmed by a significant number of their candidates being disqualified. No official figures for the share of seats in parliament were published after the first round but of the 209 MPs who were elected at least 130 were conservatives. Under Iranian election law candidates needed at least 25 per cent of the vote to be elected outright in the first round. Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C6E52D0A-CADB-4C1B-8B96-35FA672B3953.htm(Reliability: 8)
Analysis: It is unlikely the conservatives in the Iranian parliament will be willing to work with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on matters relating to the Iranian economy. Although President Ahmadinejad is a member of the conservative party, his economic policies have put him at odds with many in his party, and many conservatives blame President Ahmadinejad for Iran's high inflation and other economic problems. (Analytic Confidence: 7)
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