Iran reformists concede defeat ahead of polls

Iranian reformists will lose their majority in Parliament after elections today, the spokesman for the sole pro-reform group contesting the polls conceded today. ‘‘We will be a minority in Parliament,’’ said Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur, spokesman for the ‘‘coalition for Iran’’ —a grouping of eight reformist parties.

A powerful conservative-run political watchdog, the guardians council, has barred thousands of candidates from standing in the elections. most those disqualified are reformists, among them some of the movement’s most prominent figures.