Power lineup in new Iranian parliament to favor moderates

Rearrangement of power lineup in Iran's new parliament, or Majlis, concluded on Saturday, and will benefit the agenda of moderate President Hassan Rouhani for economic and political shift, though it might be limited.

The results of the recent parliamentary elections showed that the reformists and their moderate allies gained ground in the vote, wining slightly over forty percent of the seats.

However, none of the heavy weight political groups, namely, the reformists or principlists, had been able to seize the majority.

Currently, almost two thirds of Majlis representatives are from the principlists camp, and the rest encompasses independents and a small portion of the reformists.

Out of the 290 seats of the next Majlis, 114 will be filled by the reformists and 12 by their moderate allies. The principlists, who are also referred to as conservatives, will occupy 107 seats, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

Independent candidates and religious minorities comprise 52 and five seats of the parliament respectively, according to report.

Also, Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) drew the balance of power in the new Majlis in favor of reformists with 120 lawmakers, while principlists won 83 seats. According to this report, independents gained 81 seats and religious minorities five.

The ISAN report added that the credentials of one reformist hopeful from Iran's central Isfahan province is still to be approved by the supreme vetting body of the country, the Guardian Council.

Different figures by Iranian media on the results of the elections is due to the lack of taut affiliations to particular political party, as one candidate might sometimes be grouped in the lists of two different political parties.

In this context where no party could clinch majority, the power face-off in the new parliament, which will be opened on May 27, would be in need of whims from independent lawmakers.

The performance of independent representatives in the former parliaments in Iran over the past three decades is an embodiment of their political sway in favor of the principlist factions.

To win support of independent lawmakers, the reformist bloc will have to abate their push for thorough reforms. This is the principle which President Rouhani and his administration are seeking to institutionalize in different sectors of Iran's political scene.

Given the lessons he has taken from unsuccessful radical policies by the reformists over the past years in Iran, Rouhani is in need of legal institutions in the country which would not upset his slow and moderate pace towards economic and political reforms.

The hardliners who have their tight grip on Iran's judiciary system, the Guardian Council and security forces, are ready to disturb the course of action by any reckless president and parliament.

"Iran's economy, which has been hit hard under sanctions, is still weighing on the minds of the Iranian citizens, and the Iranian society is still grappling with tons of economic problems handed down by the previous administration, including stagnation, various debts and a drastic budget deficit," Mohammad Nouri, an Iranian expert on international issues, was quoted as saying by Iran Review website.

In the pluck of debate between reformists and principlists and in order to materialize the social and economic welfare and political stability, the Iranian Majlis has to put its swing in moderation and Rouhani's agenda for slow-pace economic and political shift.

Under Rouhani, Iran and the world powers reached a nuclear agreement last year, which resulted in lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic and engaging Iran with the global community.

"If the product of elections on June 14, 2013 was the birth of a moderate administration under the political climate of Iran, now elections held in late February 2016 (and on April 29) are expected to give birth to a moderate parliament" to nourish hope among Iranians, Nouri said.

Source: XINHUA