Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has earned a significant vote of confidence, while reformist partners have made surprise gains in parliament, early results from elections on 26 February in Iran suggest.

Reformists had their biggest victories in the capital, Tehran, with the sheer scale of these wins implying a legislature that is more allied with President Rouhani now a strong possibility.

Rouhani and his key supporter and former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, appeared set to win two seats in the Assembly of Experts, the body that selects the Supreme Leader, early results released on 27 February showed.

Millions of Iranian’s turned out to vote on 27 February, which was seen as a vote of confidence not only in Rouhani, but also the recent nuclear deal. At stake were seats in Iran’s parliament – called the Majlis – as well as seats in the Assembly of Experts.

The polls are seen by many as a critical turning point in Iran’s trajectory, with anti-Western hardliners dominating the 290-seat parliament. A transfer of power from these conservatives to moderate reformists would be seen as a victory for many of the 48 million people under the age of 30 that make up 60 per cent of the country’s population.

Supporters of Rouhani, who promoted the nuclear deal, were pitted against hardliners close to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who are wary of detente with Western countries.