Tehran voting massively for reforms

A coalition of reformers, in the Iranian capital Tehran won all thirty seats that were at stake in the elections.

This is shown by the first results of the vote on Friday. Prominent conservative leaders are voted out and get a place in the parliament of 290 seats, Iranian media reported Sunday.

The Iranian news channel PressTV estimates that outside the capital, supporters of the conservative candidates will appear larger.

The great defeat of opponents of reform in the capital is a boost for President Hassan Rouhani. He wants to implement reforms, but in doing so often encounters the power of the ultraconservative clergy in the state institutions.

Tehran itself has over nine million inhabitants. Sixteen million people live in the metropolis. Iran has nearly eighty million inhabitants, of which there are about 55 million eligible to vote.