Moderates advance in second round of Iran's parliamentary elections

The moderate-reformist bloc secured more than 30 more seats in parliamentary runoff elections, according to a Saturday report on state TV.

Of the 68 seats being contested Friday, 33 went to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition and 21 to conservatives, according to the Fars news agency, an outlet close to conservatives.

The coalition will have to win 40 seats in the runoffs to secure an outright majority of moderates and reformists in the 290-seat legislature.

If they dominate the parliament, their win will present a dramatic realignment in the Islamic Republic, with conservative lawmakers likely being outnumbered by their rivals for the first time since 2004.

Their win will also be an implicit public vote of confidence for Rouhani, who secured a landslide election victory in 2013 and went on to clinch a historic deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear programme that lifted sanctions.

Preliminary results also took to 17 the number of women elected – eight more than currently and the highest tally since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Almost a quarter of parliament's seats were at stake in run-offs Friday in what was a crucial showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

Final results are expected later on Saturday as the parliament is set to begin its work in late May.