Feature: Tehran's political landscape polarized over parliamentary election

Vali Asr square in central Tehran hosts a spectrum of signs, changing the area's usual landscape on a winter afternoon on the eve of the country's major parliamentary election.

Youngsters on sidewalks distribute colorful posters with pictures and verbal messages to grab people's attention.

Iranian voters will cast their ballots Friday to elect 290 members of parliament from among 6,229 qualified candidates, including 586 women, across the political spectrum, from principalists, or conservatives, to moderates and reformists.

Yellow posters for the "Grand Coalition of Principalists" feature pictures of its 30 candidates and the slogan, "Livelihood, Security, Development."

The image of the coalition's leader, Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, is the largest and occupy the top section of the poster.

Haddad-Adel, a conservative scholar, once served as parliament chairman.

Now an incumbent parliament member, Haddad-Adel is regarded a loyal principalist on Iran's political scene.

"We support the principalist candidates, and (improving) the peoples' livelihood is their slogan and political promise," says one young man, who only gives his first name, Hamed.

"The principalists are more loyal to the Islamic republic's principles and advocate the Islamic revolution's basic cause, namely, independence and freedom, two factors which kept the United States from meddling in the country," says Mohammad Amin.

The week-long campaigning for parliamentary elections ends Thursday. It is now followed by a waiting period until the results are out.

Out of about 12,000 registered candidates, 6,229 were deemed as qualified. They will be competing for 290 parliament seats for four-year terms, or about 21 candidates for each seat.

Competition is fiercest in the capital, Tehran, where more than 1,000 candidates are vying for a mere 30 seats.

As for Friday's elections, the principalists hope to maintain their current clout in the upcoming parliament.

Campaigning for reformist candidates is also in full display on Vali Asr square.

On the opposite corner of the square, a group of youngsters carry posters and blue ribbons to denote they are fans of the reformists, who are united under "Pervasive Coalition of Reformists."

"Hope, Tranquility, Economic Boom" is a slogan featured by the coalition, led by politician and academic Mohammad Reza Aref.

"The inherent features of reformism are patience and tolerance," Aref tells supporters.

One of the reformists' supporters, Meisam, wants to see reformists "grow stronger through this election."

"We are in favor of change and more freedoms," says Meisam, a 22-year-old management major at a Tehran university, who only provides his first name.

"We deserve increased progress and positive relations with the world," Meisam says.

As for the Feb. 26 elections, the moderates formed a coalition with the reformists, optimistic and motivated by the patronage of President Hassan Rouhani, seeking to alter the composition of the currently conservative-dominated parliament.

In addition to coalitions, there are also individual candidates running for parliament seats.

"Individual candidates are less hopeful that the people will vote for them," says a middle-aged man. "Coalition lists outshine them."

"Whatever the outcome of the elections, Iranian citizens' participation in the Friday elections will be a national honor for the Islamic republic," says the man, who demands anonymity.

In addition to the parliamentary election, 166 candidates will also be competing on Friday for 88 seats in the Assembly of Experts, an analytical body of Islamic theologians known as Mujtahids who are elected for eight year terms and are responsible for electing, removing and supervising Iran's Supreme Leader's actions.

On Wednesday, President Rouhani sent text messages to Iranians' mobile phones, urging them to actively participate in the elections.

"Today the country needs your vote," he said. "Let's decide on the country's prosperous future together on Friday, Feb. 26." Endit