Iran opened legislative elections on Friday, with the country’s 48 million voters being called out in what is seen as a test of how much support President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has among ruling conservatives. Supreme leader Ali Khamenei cast his ballot moments after polling began, state television showed. “The more people come and vote, the more beneficial it is for the future, prestige, security and immunity of the country,” he said. He framed the poll as part of Iran’s showdown with the West, saying: “The arrogant powers, who have been defeated and have been delivered a blow to the mouth, are repeating the issue of sanctions and human rights.” The elections, to fill the 290 seats in parliament, are being boycotted by Iran’s main opposition and reformist groups, the leaders of which have been under house arrest for a year. It is the first nationwide poll since the disputed 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad, which sparked widespread protests by opposition groups crying fraud and a bloody regime crackdown. The elections are essentially a struggle between conservatives who back Ahmadinejad and a hardline current that despises him. Each claims stronger fealty than the other to Khamenei. No protests were expected. Iran’s police chief, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, said security forces were “fully prepared” to counter any problems. There were no international observers present to watch over the vote. The Guardian Council, which vetted the 3,400 candidates allowed to run and will validate the results, called the idea of observers “an insult to the people” of Iran.
