Revolt against the reactionaries

THE conservatives did everything they could to prevent it, abusing the power of the state to disqualify thousands of candidates they judged too prominent, too moderate or both. But the election on February 26th of Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, was a slap in the face to them nonetheless. Though complete results are not yet in, moderates and centrists look likely to control the new chamber (see ). The hardliners, who won handily in 2012, before Western nuclear sanctions began to bite, were pushed back. They call themselves “principlists” because of their stern promotion of premodern values. Iranian voters, it seems, reject their principles.The election is good news for Iran’s reform-minded president, Hassan Rohani. It demonstrates just how solidly the nation’s voters support the deal he negotiated with world powers to roll back the country’s nuclear-enrichment programme in return for relief from sanctions. The principlists in the old parliament had tried, but failed, to block it.