By Safa Haeri
PARIS 6TH May. (IPS) As expected, Iranian voters for the fourth times in the past three years expressed their rejection of both the conservatives and the system they have imposed on them by laminating the hard liners in the second round of elections for the next Majles (parliament) held Friday.
According to Mr. Behzad Nabavi, the spokesman for the Second Khordad (23 May) Coalition, the reformists swept 71.2 percent of the 66 seats, the conservatives took 15.15 percent, meaning 10 seats while the rest were shared by 9 independents and 11candidates affiliated to the Second Khordad Front (SKF).
The victory of the Second Khordad Coalition was expected despite the fact that in order to cut off the people with the popular dailies, the conservatives had shut down 16 reformists dailies and publications, jailed three prominent journalists, creating bitter tension and threatening reformist figures.
After the city council and the first round of Majles elections, this was the third time that people in their immense majority slapped the conservatives in the face, analysts noted, observing that none of the hard liners efforts to intimidate the voters did work.
"Out of the 66 seats contested in Friday's run-off election, 36 candidates are from the SKF, 11 from the groups affiliated to reformists and 10 from the conservative front", Mr. Nabavi said, adding that among the 9 independent elected candidates, 4 of them have views close to those of the SKF faction.
In first round of elections held in February, the reformists swept more than 70 per cent of the 181 seats validated, including all the 30 seats allocated to Tehran, but latter the leader-controlled Council of Guardians transferred the last seat to former president Ali Akbar hashemi Rafsanjani to save him from total humiliation.
As things stands right now, the SKF detains 200 seats, including those of Tehran, the conservatives 70 and the independents 20, meaning that even without the Tehran's MPs, the conservatives would not even have a blocking minority.
But by Mr. Nabavi's account, taking into account the run off results, and excluding the Tehran constituency, whose result has not been announced officially, the sixth parliament will include a total of 172 representatives from SKF, 56 representing the conservatives and another 18 will be independents.
He warned the Council of Guardians against annulling results for Tehran, noting that even such likelihood would not change dramatically the composition of the Sixth Majles. "Anyhow, this can not be a wise and practical step'', he said.
According to a plan worked out by the conservatives, in order to "tame" the next 290-seat parliament that is for the first time controlled by the reformists, the proclamation of results from Tehran would be delaayed until after the inauguration of the Majles due for 27th May, emptying it from strong personalities, including Dr. Mohammad Reza Khatami, the younger brother of the president who is tipped to become the next non clerical Speaker.
But in his press conference, Mr. Nabavi said he has not heard of any official institutions talking about annulling Tehran's election, adding that the recent recounting of the votes shows that the standing of the candidates has remained unchanged.
"Any views favouring the annulment of Tehran elections that would come from the faction that was not been able to send even one candidates to the parliament from Tehran could not be a sufficient reason to do so", Mr. Nabavi said.
He nevertheless cautioned the conservatives against annulling results from Tehran, noting that in case by-elections are organised for Tehran, the results would be even worse for them, assuring that the only one seat they had reserved for Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani would be taken from them.
''Individuals who dream of annulling the Tehran election should be aware that the next time around their standing will be even worse, because if they feel that their votes have been taken for granted, people will show their reactions at the ballot box'', the spokesman for the SKF warned.
Observers said some reformists fears that following their dramatic defeat, hard line extremists not ready to accept the fait accompli mount more violence and force Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i to impose an emergency state and close the next Majles.
But others are more optimists, arguing that the message send from the people to the conservatives is so loud and so clear that they could possibly not having got it, they also point to the fact that so far both the leader and the president have been able to conrol their troops and keep their difficult and often odd "cohabitation" working. ENDS ELECTIONS RUN OFF 6500