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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hard-Liners Lose Hold On Iran’s Parliament

Compiled From Wire Services

Hard-line followers of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini have lost their majority in Iran’s parliament, according to election results announced Sunday.

The exact makeup of the new parliament, the fifth since the 1979 Islamic revolution led by Khomeini, remained to be determined.

But supporters of liberal-leaning President Hashemi Rafsanjani made some gains. And it was clear that the emergence of his technocrat-heavy group, the Servants of Construction, has changed the face of Iranian politics less than two months after it was founded.

The conservatives, who have campaigned under the banner of the Association of Combatant Clergymen, are expected to win a maximum of 110 of the 270 seats in the parliament, down from 140. Rafsanjani’s supporters are believed to have taken 90 to 100 seats.

Final results may not be known for weeks.