Iran's Majlis elections kicked off
Iranians are voting on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hardline political rivals led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iranians go to the polls today for the first time since the controversial 2009 presidential elections that were mired in accusations of fraud, setting off huge protests and a bloody crackdown.
On Wednesday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. for urging Iranians to boycott the elections.
The sealed ballot boxes were opened at electoral districts in the morning, Reuters reports.
According to the source, opposition parties have already boycotted the elections, expressing doubt over transparency. This time round, leading reformist groups have said they will stay away from voting, setting the stage for a straight contest between backers of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad.
Experts predict that the conservative group, Islamic Iran Developers Coalition (Abadgaran), will triumph in the elections.
"A total of 3000 candidates are running in elections to fill the 290 seats in Iran's parliament," Газета.Ru reports.
With prominent opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi still under house arrest, the election will essentially be a contest between supporters of President Ahmadinejad and those aligned to Ayatollah Khamenei, who have been involved in a behind-the-scenes power struggle.
