Second Round of Parliamentary Elections; Verbal Tensions Between Conservatives and Reformists

With two days remaining until the second round of parliamentary elections, verbal tensions and disputes between rival factions have intensified. The list of candidates supported by reformists under the title 'Hope List' has been published, naturally provoking reactions from conservatives. According to Tasnim News Agency, Gholamali Haddad Adel, spokesperson for the 'Conservative Coalition,' rejected the 'decisive' victory of reformists in the first round of elections held on Tuesday, April 26, stating that those claiming victory in the parliamentary elections are 'the same individuals who trampled on the law in the 2009 elections and encouraged some to vandalize public property.' The Conservative Coalition has stated that it supports the same candidates it backed in the first round, who have now advanced to the second round. Former President Mohammad Khatami, who occasionally issues written messages during specific political moments, also released a message on his personal website, emphasizing the 'sensitivity and importance' of the second round of parliamentary elections, calling for voters to support candidates who would assist President Hassan Rouhani's government. Although no independent source has yet published the exact statistics of reformist, conservative, and independent candidates who succeeded in the first round, according to Hossein Marashi, a member of the reformist policy-making council, out of 218 candidates who advanced to the parliament in the first round, 124, or 57%, are from the reformist coalition and government supporters, while conservatives hold 71 seats and 23 are independent. On the other hand, some conservatives have also declared themselves the winners of this election. Tensions between the factions are occurring while reformists warned on Wednesday, April 28, about the attempts of candidates outside the Hope List to gain votes. According to ISNA, the public relations department of the Supreme Council of Reformist Election Policy issued a statement saying, 'Some candidates outside the Hope List are trying to disseminate false information by using the logo and title of the second step and the Hope List and publishing images of reformist figures in support of themselves.' This public relations department urged the public to refer to the website and information channel of the second step for information about the Hope List. Ehsan Mehrabi, a journalist and political analyst residing in Germany, commented on this tactic by non-reformist candidates to Radio Farda, stating that such methods have been seen in previous elections and are considered an electoral trick. The tenth parliamentary elections were held on February 26 of last year, which determined the status of 207 electoral districts. However, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Interior, 68 parliamentary seats remained vacant, which are now set to be contested by 136 candidates in 21 provinces and 55 electoral districts across the country. Many believe these remaining seats play an important role in the future composition of the parliament. Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a member of the central council of the Followers of the Velayat faction in the ninth parliament, told ILNA news agency, 'These 20% are precisely the seats that will determine the fate of the tenth parliament.' However, Mehdi Mahdavi Azad, a political analyst in Germany who considers the tenth parliament incapable of bringing about significant changes, emphasizes that it has an undeniable role in continuing the policies of Hassan Rouhani's government—especially foreign policies and either obstructing or supporting him—which makes the elections on Friday a pivotal point. According to the announcement from the Ministry of Interior's election headquarters, the second round of parliamentary elections will be held on Friday, May 1.