Rouhani allies seek control of parliament in Iran vote

Voting was extended Friday in second round elections for almost a quarter of the seats in Iran's parliament, a crucial showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future. The polls will decide who has the most power when lawmakers are sworn in next month, opening or potentially closing a politically delicate path to even limited social and cultural change in the Islamic republic.
Tension over the vote's high stakes was dramatically underlined by a shooting involving supporters of rival candidates in a southern province. The rare political violence left four people wounded, a security official said. Iran's reformists - who have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social reforms at home - are allied with President Hassan Rouhani's government and made major gains in the first round on February 26.