A conservative critic of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has been returned as speaker of Iran’s newly elected parliament.
Ali Larijani was voted in by parliament members on May 28, defeating a challenge from Gholam Ali Hadad Adel.
Larijani and Adel are both described as being close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but with Adel backing a more moderate approach to Ahmadinejad’s administration.
Conservative opponents of Ahmadinejad won a majority of the seats in parliament in elections that ended earlier this month.
The U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch called the elections "grossly unfair" because most of the approved candidates were conservative regime supporters.
Ali Larijani was voted in by parliament members on May 28, defeating a challenge from Gholam Ali Hadad Adel.
Larijani and Adel are both described as being close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but with Adel backing a more moderate approach to Ahmadinejad’s administration.
Conservative opponents of Ahmadinejad won a majority of the seats in parliament in elections that ended earlier this month.
The U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch called the elections "grossly unfair" because most of the approved candidates were conservative regime supporters.