Unofficial reports on Saturday estimated turnout in Iran’s parliamentary election, seen as a test of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy, at about 40%, which would be the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
With heavyweight moderates and conservatives staying out and reformists calling Friday's election unfree and unfair, the contest was essentially among hardliners and low-key conservatives who proclaim loyalty to Islamic revolutionary ideals.
The interior ministry may announce the official turnout later on Saturday.
Tehran's rulers needed a high turnout to repair their legitimacy, badly damaged by anti-government protests in 2022-23 that spiraled into some of the worst political turmoil since the revolution.
But official surveys suggested only about 41% of eligible Iranians would vote. That appeared to be the case, as Hamshahri newspaper said more than 25 million people, or 41% of eligible voters, had turned out.