Reformists win all 30 Tehran seats

TEHRAN: Allies of Iran's reformist President Hassan Rouhani have won a landslide victory in Tehran, in the first parliamentary vote since Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers, according to BBC News.

With 90% of the votes counted, the pro-Rouhani List of Hope is set to take all 30 parliamentary seats in the capital.  The leading conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad-Adel is in 31st place.

Millions voted on Friday to elect the 290-seat parliament as well as members of the Assembly of Experts. The 88-member assembly appoints Iran's Supreme Leader and might end up choosing a successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, who is 76 and has suffered ill-health

The results are a huge setback for hardliners. Two of the most prominent amongst them have lost their seats, and a third is hovering right at the bottom, in danger of being eliminated.

The biggest shock is the poor showing for Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the current chairman of the Assembly. He replaced former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani when he was forced to relinquish the role. The irony is that Rafsanjani is now leading the polls in Tehran.

The top ideologue of the hardliners, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi has also lost his seat. He is the spiritual guide of a group that includes former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The parliamentary result in Tehran is significant because lawmakers from the capital usually determine the political direction of the house, analysts say. However, reformists look to have done less well in constituencies outside the capital.