Larijani Reelected As Speaker of Iran’s Parliament

Iranian moderate conservative politician Ali Larijani (file photo)

Moderate conservative Ali Larijani has been reelected as the temporary speaker of Iran's parliament.

On May 29, Larijani won 173 votes in the 290-seat assembly, while his opponent reformist Mohammad Reza Aref received 103 votes.

A vote for a permanent speaker will be held in the next few days after the house approves the credentials of individual deputies.

The new Iranian parliament, formed from elections held in February and April, was sworn in at its opening session in Tehran on May 28.

The election in February was seen as a referendum on July's nuclear deal with world powers -- and Larijani's support for its passage through parliament kept him out of a debate that saw several hard-line opponents of the agreement lose their seats.

In a speech to lawmakers, President Hassan Rohani praised Larijani for supporting the nuclear agreement and called for a greater "interaction" between parliament and the government to "solve the problems and crises of the country."

Reformists took 133 of the 290 seats in parliament, falling short of a majority, but more than the conservatives' 125 seats.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters