In Iran, a Big Nod Toward a New Order

So far, Iran's elections are going precisely to form. Early results show about 67 percent of the winners are supporters of President Mohammad Khatami's reform movement, while candidates backing the conservative policies of the country's religious establishment have secured 25 percent of the vote. The tally: With results in for 170 of the 290 seats in the Majlis, Iran's parliament, it's reformers 86, conservatives 40, independents 36, and those with unknown affiliations 8. There's still more counting to do; votes from Tehran weren't due to be counted until late Sunday, and about 50 closely-contested seats will have to wait for an April runoff to be decided. And counting won't be easy, not with an 83-percent turnout and ballots that can have up to 30 different names scrawled on them needing to be transcribed.

This doesn't mean that Khatami is ready to lead his country gently into a land of shopping malls and car showrooms. The Majlis is only one piece of the puzzle, and control over the legislative and executive branches doesn't carry quite the same weight in Iran as it might in a Western democracy. Conservatives still hold the judiciary, security services and the military, which means they will still have much political power. But at the very least it looks as though Khatami will soon have a few more allies in his push to engage with the West.