Iran reformists performing well in early election results

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Preliminary results early Saturday morning showed reformist candidates heading for their best showing in more than a decade in Iranian parliamentary elections, according to local media and election officials counting the ballots. Iranian clergymen vote in the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections at a polling station in Qom, 125 kms (78 miles) south of the capital in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo. Officials have yet to release early results, but reports in the semi-official Fars and Mehr news agencies showed hard-liners losing ground in the 290-seat legislative body. None of Iran’s three main political camps — reformist, conservative and hard-line — was expected to capture a majority, but the reformist camp, which seeks greater democratic rights and better ties with the West, is expected to secure its strongest parliamentary presence since 2004. A strong reformist showing would be a boost for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the [...]