Iran conservatives extend win with Tehran count

A man walks past the logo of the Interior Ministry election headquarter in Tehran March 17, 2008.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's conservatives have consolidated their parliamentary majority after winning almost two-thirds of Tehran's 30 seats, Iranian media reported on Tuesday.

The Interior Ministry had said conservatives, who call themselves "principlists" for their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals, had 74 percent of the 189 seats counted until Monday -- indicating about 139 or 140 of parliament's 290 seats.

That was before counting for Tehran's 30 seats was complete.

The official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday that 19 of Tehran's seats had gone to a conservative group, the United Front, with the remaining 11 seats going to run-off votes in April or May. Opposition reformists will be in some run-offs.

The figures suggest conservatives have an overall majority in parliament, having exceeded 145 seats. But a final figure has yet to be announced by the Interior Ministry.

Only about 60 percent of the 7,600 would-be candidates survived a vetting process by government committees and the Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 clerics and jurists. The results must be certified by the watchdog.

The results, however, do not guarantee an easy ride for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the new parliament.

Analysts say divisions among conservatives, ranging from radical backers of Ahmadinejad to his more pragmatic critics, could widen in parliament because they may use assembly as a springboard to launch into next year's presidential race.

Reformists, with a minority in parliament, may team up with moderate conservatives who have publicly criticized the president's economic policies blamed for surging inflation, analysts say.

Iranian officials have hailed the election, with turnout of about 60 percent of the 44 million eligible voters, as a victory over the Islamic Republic's arch-foe, the United States.

Washington and European capitals, at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear plans, have called the vote unfair.

Reformists, who seek political and social change, accuse Ahmadinejad of stoking inflation, currently at more than 19 percent, by lavishly spending Iran's windfall oil revenues on subsidies, loans and handouts.

However, Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has voiced support for Ahmadinejad, especially his handling of the nuclear dispute with the west.

The West accuses Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian program. Iran denies the charge and says it needs nuclear technology to meet its booming electricity demand.

Washington has led international efforts to penalize Iran for failing to allay suspicions over its nuclear work.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)