`` Moussavi and Karrubi are under house arrest , my friends and family have been arrested , jailed , falsely accused , and beaten , '' said an engineer , speaking by phone with CNN from Tehran . Many voters participate , but others sit it out , saying vote is `` rigged '' The parliamentary election features about 3,400 candidates vying for 290 seats . Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's 2009 re-election sent throngs to the streets over fraud allegations . Iran has been in a state of political turmoil since June 2009, when reformist President Mohammad Khatami was overthrown by hardliners who accused him of being too close with Israel.
Many voters participate , but others sit it out , saying vote is `` rigged '' The parliamentary election features about 3,400 candidates vying for 290 seats . Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's 2009 re-election sent throngs to the streets over fraud allegations . Iran has been in a state of political turmoil since June 2009, when reformist President Mohammad Khatami was overthrown by hardliners who accused him of being too close with Israel.