Eight Killed in Iran Clashes

23/02/2004| IslamWeb

Eight people died in clashes with police in two towns in southern Iran over disputed results for a parliamentary election, in which Shiite conservatives secured a big victory over reformists, local officials said yesterday. Four people, including a policeman, died in clashes on Saturday in Firouzabad in Fars province after the governor's office declared an unexpectedly high turnout in a tight race between a reformist and a Shiite conservative candidate, a local official said. Another four were killed in Khuzestan province when police clashed with a group protesting poll results, ISNA news agency said. Meanwhile, Iranian conservatives are assured of securing a comfortable majority in parliament as the counting of ballots reached the final stages. The Interior Ministry said counting was complete in 199 of 207 electoral districts, many of which return more than one deputy to the 290-seat Majlis. According to official figures, 194 MPs have been elected and 55 seats will have to be contested in a second round after no single candidate managed to win 25 per cent of votes cast. The new parliament will not take office until the end of May. Of the 194 seats allocated, only 40 went to reformists. At least 120 others went to known conservatives or centrists, with the rest going to those campaigning on an independent ticket. Results for Tehran's 30 seats were still awaited, but results given by the state news agency, IRNA, put conservatives on track to win most of them. Reformists had won a crushing majority in the last Majlis elections in 2000, but on Friday could only contest around half the seats up for grabs. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Staffers work on the results of Iran's parliamentary elections. (AFP/File/Henghameh Fahimi)