Iran’s hardliners took victory today in a general election marred by the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution amid anger at the government.
Tehran, which reported its first case of coronavirus two days before Friday’s ballot, accused ‘enemies’ of fuelling fears of the deadly contagion to stifle voting.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: ‘Their media did not ignore the tiniest opportunity for discouraging people and resorting to the pretext of diseases and the virus.’
However, experts had anticipated low turnout amid growing anger at the government over biting economic conditions, made worse by conflict with the US, and the conservative authorities’ barring more than half the 16,000 candidates.
Iranians queue to vote in the parliamentary elections in a polling station on Friday in the capital Tehran
![Iranian President Hassan Rouhani casts his ballot for the 11th Parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran on polling day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25096552-8035399-image-a-1_1582491224221.jpg)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani casts his ballot for the 11th Parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran on polling day
It signals a shift from four years ago when moderates and reformists won a slender majority in parliament and heaps further pressure on President Hassan Rouhani.
The interior ministry announced results of 95 percent of the 208 constituencies in Friday’s election, declaring the names of the winning candidates but without specifying their political affiliation.
‘Victory for the anti-American candidates, a new slap for Trump,’ crowed the ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper.
‘The people have disqualified the reformists,’ it added, alluding to Rouhani’s backers, who have been weakened by President Donald Trump pulling the US out of a landmark nuclear deal and by a slew of economic and political crises.
Seventeen women were elected, the website of the government newspaper Iran said – the same number as in the outgoing 290-seat parliament.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced the participation rate was 42.6 percent – the lowest in four decades.
The election came two days after Iran announced its first cases of the deadly new coronavirus that emerged in China.
![Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks on the coronavirus cases and last week's elections in Tehran on Sunday. 'Their media did not ignore the tiniest opportunity for discouraging people and resorting to the pretext of diseases and the virus.' He said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25094186-8035399-image-a-4_1582491252092.jpg)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks on the coronavirus cases and last week’s elections in Tehran on Sunday. ‘Their media did not ignore the tiniest opportunity for discouraging people and resorting to the pretext of diseases and the virus.’ He said
![Poll workers empty full ballot boxes after the parliamentary election voting time ended in Tehran in the early hours of Saturday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25094180-8035399-image-a-3_1582491243132.jpg)
Poll workers empty full ballot boxes after the parliamentary election voting time ended in Tehran in the early hours of Saturday
‘We held these elections when there were various incidents in the country: we had bad weather, there was this coronavirus disease, there was the plane crash,’ Rahmani Fazli said, referring to the January 3 downing of a Ukrainian airliner which killed 176 people.
He said that in such a scenario ‘the turnout rate seems perfectly acceptable for us.’
A low participation had been widely forecast, as a conservative-dominated electoral watchdog disqualified about half of the 16,000-odd candidates, mostly moderates and reformists.
The Fars news agency said a second round would be held in at least 11 constituencies. One woman candidate has qualified for the second round, Iran newspaper added.
Voter apathy marked the polls, but Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lauded the people’s ‘huge participation’ despite what he termed ‘negative propaganda’ by foreign media.
It ‘began a few months ago and grew larger approaching the election and in the past two days, under the pretext of this illness,’ he said.
‘Their media did not miss the slightest opportunity to discourage people from voting. (Our enemies) are even opposed to any election by the Iranian people,’ the leader added.
Iran on Sunday reported three new coronavirus deaths, taking its toll to eight – the highest in any country outside China. It said there were 43 COVID-19 virus infections nationwide.
![Iranians queue up during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in the southern outskirts of Tehran](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25096596-8035399-image-a-5_1582491284397.jpg)
Iranians queue up during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in the southern outskirts of Tehran
![An Iranian woman shows her voting document during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine on the southern outskirts of Tehran on Friday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25096588-8035399-image-a-6_1582491289590.jpg)
An Iranian woman shows her voting document during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine on the southern outskirts of Tehran on Friday
Authorities ordered the closure of schools, universities and other educational centres in 14 of Iran’s 31 provinces from Sunday and said Tehran could be under quarantine, if necessary.
Art events, concerts and film shows have been banned for a week across the country.
In the past 24 hours, four new infections surfaced in Tehran, seven in the holy city of Qom – where the country’s first infections emerged – two in Gilan and one each in Markazi and Tonekabon, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said.
‘We are on the frontlines, we need help,’ said the head of Qom’s medical sciences university, Mohammadreza Ghadir. ‘If I can say one thing, it is help Qom.’
Iran’s health minister, Saeed Namaki, said the treatment of COVID-19 cases would be free.
‘In every city, one hospital will be dedicated to treating coronavirus cases,’ he said, adding that this number would be greater in bigger cities like the capital.
Tehran’s city hall has ordered the closure of snack shops and water fountains in metro stations, officials said.
![Iranians queue up to vote during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in southern Tehran](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/23/20/25096590-8035399-image-a-7_1582491292729.jpg)
Iranians queue up to vote during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in southern Tehran
Tehran municipality spokesman Gholamreza Mohammadi said buses and underground trains were being disinfected.
Mohsen Hashemi, head of Tehran’s municipal council, said, ‘If the number of infections increases in Tehran, the whole city will be quarantined.’
Posters were also put up across the sprawling city of eight million on Sunday, asking people not to shake hands as part of a coronavirus prevention campaign.
Iran’s cyberpolice meanwhile warned that anyone putting ‘fake clips’ online related to the virus would be punished.
The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the speed at which COVID-19 has spread in Iran, as well as it being exported from the Islamic republic to other countries, including Lebanon.