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| - Iran extended voting on Friday in an election at which conservatives are expected to tighten their grip on parliament amid voter apathy after the disqualification of thousands of candidates. The 11th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution comes after steeply escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington, and Iran's accidental downing of a Ukrainian airliner that sparked anti-government protests. As he cast the first ballot in the election, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged all Iranians to take part, saying that doing so would "guarantee the country's national interests". Voters formed long queues in the morning at polling stations in south Tehran, where conservatives have a solid support base, but far fewer were seen waiting to vote in upmarket northern neighbourhoods. After seven hours of voting, more than 11 million of the 58 million people eligible to vote had done so, the interior ministry said. Authorities extended voting for two hours to 8:00 pm (1630 GMT) to allow more people to vote, the National Elections Committee said. State television showed people still queueing to vote at dusk in Shiraz and other cities. The election was overshadowed by an outbreak of the new coronavirus that the authorities say has killed four people in the Islamic republic this week. One official accused Iran's enemies of overplaying the spread of the disease in a bid to harm the credibility of the election. Experts had predicted a low turnout that they said would serve the conservatives at the expense of President Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected in 2017 promising more freedoms and the benefits of engagement with the West. Iran has been in deep recession since US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions after unilaterally pulling out of a landmark nuclear deal in 2018. "Our elections are useless," said Amir Mohtasham, who is 38 and jobless. "Even the current parliament has 90 sitting MPs who are under investigation for financial corruption." Amir Bahador Marzpour, a humanities student in Tehran, was one of the many who did not vote. "I didn't vote because politicians make promises they don't keep," the 18-year-old told AFP north of the capital, raising concerns about runaway inflation. "There are no jobs for young people and when we finish our studies we won't have jobs." Around half of the 16,033 hopefuls are contesting the 290 seats up for grabs across 31 provinces after the Guardian Council barred thousands of would-be candidates, mostly moderates and reformists. Iran's beleaguered president, who has come under fire for the sluggish economy, took another hit Friday as a multinational terrorism financing watchdog reinstated sanctions on the country. The 38-nation Financial Action Task Force said Iran had not taken sufficient measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorist groups. In a statement issued after a meeting in Paris, the FATF criticised the Islamic republic for failing to take the measures expected of it in these areas. The Guardian Council said it expected at least 50 percent of registered voters to turn out, down from an average of 60.5 percent at the past 10 elections. Many voters have voiced disillusionment. Real estate worker Alireza Hashemi, 25, criticised Rouhani's government. "After we elected Rouhani everything collapsed. He signed a very bad (nuclear) deal and looked to the West without any real guarantees," he told AFP. As he voted, the pressured Rouhani sought to put a positive spin on the election. "We are very happy that another glorious day is being added to the history of our country and revolution," Rouhani said. In November, demonstrations over petrol price hikes spread across Iran and turned violent before being crushed in a deadly crackdown. Tehran and Washington have nearly gone to war twice in the past seven months, most recently after the US assassinated prominent Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3. Millions of people turned out to mourn his "martyrdom", but that unity suffered a blow after Iran admitted it had on January 8 accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing 176 people. The final results of the election are not expected before Sunday. Apart from the parliament, voters will also choose replacements for deceased members of the Assembly of Experts, an 88-strong clerical body that appoints and monitors the supreme leader. amh/ach/dv/cm
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