Iran's conservatives have swept their reformist rivals out of parliament, gaining a clear majority in the 290-seat assembly.
The result leaves moderate President Mohammad Khatami and his cabinet the only reformers still in office, facing a hostile parliament and with little to show for seven years of struggling to reform the 25-year-old Islamic Republic.
The Iranian news agency, IRNA, said 20 conservative candidates had gained enough votes in ballot boxes so far counted in Tehran to go to parliament, adding to the 129 seats they had already won across the major oil-producing country of 66 million.
Defeated reformists say the polls were rigged after the 12-man hardline Guardian Council barred some 2,500 of their candidates from standing in Friday's polls. Reformists have so far won only 40 seats compared to around 190 in the last parliament.
Outgoing deputies will step down at the end of May.
Independents won 30 seats, five places are reserved for the Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities and 10 more Tehran seats have yet to be assigned while vote-counting in the capital continues.
Five women were among those elected so far, compared to 13 women MPs in the previous parliament.
Many Iranians are frustrated by Mr Khatami's failure to put the economy in order or stand up to the hardliners and bring change.
The European Union expressed "deep regret and disappointment that large numbers of candidates were prevented from standing," in a draft statement yesterday.