Rafsanjani, one of Ahmadinejad’s main opponents, represented the coalition of reformists and moderates in the Experts’ Assembly elections while Mohamad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi stood for the presidential camp.

The Experts’ Assembly has the power to appoint, supervise and even oust Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who constitutionally has the final say in state affairs.

Rafsanjani and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami appeared together Friday at the polling station in the Jamaran mosque in north Tehran, demonstrating their political solidarity for the future.

ISNA news agency reported that also in the parliamentary by- elections, reformist candidate Soheyla Jolodarzade from the labour party is leading the polls while Hassan Ghaffouri-Fard, a former vice-president of Rafsanani, is second.

The results of the municipality elections are not yet clear.

Reformist activist and former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh told the Kar news agency that the Ahmadinejad camp had lost the elections, but observers said no objective analysis of the results could be made before results were finalised.

The interior ministry refrained to comment on the initial press reports and said that results would be officially announced by Sunday.

The election turnout was reportedly over 55 per cent which is a record for two rather technical elections with no direct impact on political developments.

Observers had termed the elections as a first real test for the popularity of Ahmadinejad after his landslide victory in last year’s presidential elections.