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135 candidates had so far won seats in Iranian parliament

03 March 2012 16:02 (UTC +04:00)

"Based on the preliminary estimate, participation nationwide stands at 64.2 percent, but this figure is not final," Mostafa Mohammad Najar told state television.

He said 135 candidates had so far won seats in the 290-member parliament, with results in larger constituencies expected by Monday.

The Islamic republic’s ruling conservatives predicted a massive turnout in Friday’s election despite a boycott by a large part of the reformist opposition and the crackdown the followed the disputed 2009 reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The minister said turnout stood at 48 percent in the capital, up from 30 percent in the 2008 legislative poll. Overall participation normally runs between 50 percent and 70 percent, and it stood at 55.4 percent in 2008.

Full results will not be known until Monday, and the those so far do not give a clear-cut picture on how the various conservative factions -- including supporters and opponents of Ahmadinejad -- have fared.