Iran sets May 4 for parliamentary runoff vote

A semi-official Iranian news agency says the country will hold runoff elections for 65 parliamentary seats on May 4.

Of 290 seats in the legislature, 225 were decided in parliamentary elections on March 2 in which conservative rivals of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed control of the house.

Mehr reported Saturday that the fate of the remaining 65 seats of the 290-seat chamber including 25 legislators from Tehran will be decided in runoff elections in May. It is expected that Ahmadinejad opponents will cement their dominance.

The March 2 election highlighted Ahmadinejad's political tumble after he dared to challenge the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the choice of intelligence chief last April.

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