Political allies of Iranian President Hassan Rohani have won a resounding victory in the second round of parliamentary elections, according to official results.
Iran's Interior Ministry said on April 30 that the List of Hope, which backs Rohani, has won an additional 38 seats in the 290-seat legislature as a result of second-round voting the previous day. However, the bloc is expected to be two mandates short of an absolute majority.
The result will make the List of Hope the single largest faction in the new parliament, which opens its session on May 27.
Conservative parties will have 86 seats in the new parliament, while independents will hold 61.
The second-round voting on April 29 was to award the 68 seats for which no candidate won a majority during the first-round balloting in February.
The Iranian parliament has no direct control over major policy matters, but it can back the policies of Rohani to bolster the economy.
