Iranians head to polling booths

TEHRAN: Hardliners are set to dominate in the Iran parliamentary elections as voters hit the polling booth as public anger against moderate conservative President Hassan Rouhani deepens over a ravaged economy, corruption and multiple crises. State television showed the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casting the first ballot in Tehran.

Experts predict a low turnout with rising voter apathy that they say will serve the conservatives at the expense of Rouhani, who was re-elected in 2017 promising more freedoms and the benefits of engagement with the West. Nearly 58 million people are eligible to vote.

Around half of the 16,033 hopefuls will contest the 290 seats up for grabs across 31 provinces after the Guardian Council barred thousands of would-be candidates, mostly moderates and reformists.