Iran Votes In Parliamentary Runoff

Supporters of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are expected to poll poorly in the runoff vote.

Iranians voted on May 4 in runoff elections that will decide the remaining 65 of the 290 parliamentary seats.

Conservative opponents of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are likely to repeat their first-round election success in March, while the president's camp is expected to fare poorly.

The coalition of conservatives led by parliament speaker Ali Larijani – one of Ahmadinejad's main opponents -- won a landslide victory in the first round of the parliamentary elections on March 2, securing more than 70 percent of the vote.

Larijani's coalition is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.

Parliament has no influence on the country's foreign policies, including its controversial nuclear policies, which are decided by the supreme leader under the Iranian Constitution.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa