Hardliners up in Iran polls

Urged by prayer leaders to ‘‘slap America in the face’’, Iranians voted on Friday in a disputed parliamentary election set to tighten hardliners’ grip on power and end President Mohammad Khatami’s faltering reform drive.

A short, lacklustre campaign was overshadowed by a ban on most reformist candidates and a crackdown on pro-reform media amid apparent public indifference. An Interior Ministry spokesman said voting was extended by one hour to 7 p.m. to allow people queueing to cast their ballots.

Conservatives seem certain to dominate the new Assembly after the Guardian Council disqualified 2,500 mainly reformist aspirants and a further 1,179 contenders withdrew. State media, controlled by the conservatives, pulled out all the stops to boost the turnout and legitimise the poll, broadcasting patriotic songs and old footage of revolutionary marches and mass voting in past elections.