21 February 2004	Saturday	29 Zilhaj 1424

TEHRAN, Feb 20: Iranians appeared to have largely ignored boycott calls in a disputed parliamentary election on Friday and were poised to elect hardliners opposed to reformist President Mohammad Khatami.

With polling extended by four hours beyond the official closing time to allow latecomers to vote, an interior ministry source told Reuters first estimates suggested a reduced but respectable national turnout of between 47 and 52 per cent.

That compares with 67 per cent in 2000 when reformers linked to Khatami swept two-thirds of the parliament seats. Most prominent reformists were banned from running this time by a watchdog panel of unelected hardline clerics.

Iran's clerical leaders and state media had exhorted voters to "slap America in the face" by turning out in droves, seeking to tap a deep vein of nationalism and suspicion of foreign interference among many Iranians.

The main reformist party, led by Khatami's brother Mohammad Reza, and the main pro-reform student movement boycotted the poll. In Tehran, where their support is strongest, the ministry source said turnout was down to 20-25 per cent. But the reformers' predictions of a nation-wide turnout of 40 per cent or less appeared to have been dashed. Conservatives had forecast up to 60 per cent but were quick to note that around 50 per cent would be comparable to US presidential elections.

With most reformists barred and a conservative victory virtually assured, Iran's clerical rulers sought a high turnout to endorse the legitimacy of the Islamic system.

Official participation figures and first results were not expected until early on Saturday. Reuters correspondents around Tehran said many voters were choosing the main conservative Alliance for the Advancement of Islamic Iran, which opposed Khatami's policy of allowing greater political, media and cultural freedom.

VOTING EXTENDED: The interior ministry extended voting in Iran's 28 provinces by four hours to 10pm (1830 GMT) to accommodate late voters.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among the first to cast his ballot, said the Islamic Republic's enemies were trying to deter young people from voting.

"You see how those who are against the Iranian nation and the Islamic revolution are trying so hard to prevent people from going to the polls," Khamenei told state television. The Guardian Council disqualified 2,500 mainly reformist aspirants and a further 1,179 contenders withdrew. -Reuters