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At a Glance: Iran Elections


An Iranian woman displays her ink-stained finger after voting in the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections at a polling station in Qom, Feb. 26, 2016.
An Iranian woman displays her ink-stained finger after voting in the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections at a polling station in Qom, Feb. 26, 2016.

Reformists appear to be making big gains at Iran's ballot boxes, with early results on Sunday indicating reformists who favor engagement with the West will win all 30 parliamentary seats in Tehran.

Initially, about 3,000 would-be reformist candidates tried to run in the elections, but Tehran's Guardian Council disqualified all but about 200.

President Hassan Rouhani and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani are also leading the race for membership in the Assembly of Experts. The 88-member body monitors the work of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on Iran's foreign policy.

At a glance: Iran elections

Up for election: 290 seats in parliament; 88 seats on Assembly of Experts.

Voters: Nearly 55 million people were registered to vote; the country has a population of about 80 million people. Local media reported high voter turnout, but there were no official number as of Sunday.

Number of candidates: About 6,000, about 10 percent of whom were female; more than 12,000 people had sought to run, but many were disqualified by the Guardian Council for reasons including not being loyal enough to the ruling party or are not strong enough in their faith.

What is the Guardian Council: A group of 12 -- six clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the head of Iran’s judiciary -- that has the power to reject candidates for parliament and president, monitor elections, and accept or reject election results or legislation.

What is the Assembly of Experts: A group of 88 jurists who select from among its members the country's next supreme leader, following the death of a current one. The assembly can also dismiss a supreme leader.

Election monitors: 300,000 supervisors, about one-third of them women, monitored the voting process.

Results: Expected Monday.

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