President Hassan Rouhani won a resounding vote of support and his moderate allies made a strong showing in high stakes elections that could speed Iran's post-sanctions opening to the world, according to early partial results on Saturday.
Tens of millions thronged polling stations on Friday for a twin vote to the 290-seat parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts, which selects the country's highest authority, the supreme leade An initial tally of 1.5 million votes counted in Tehran - fewer than one-fifth of the capital's eligible voters - showed Rouhani and his pragmatic ally, ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, leading the race for the Assembly of Experts, according to Interior Ministry figures.