Iran ? President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory Sunday in Iran’s parliamentary elections, saying the people had voted to reject the West after nearly complete results showed conservatives holding their majority.

But the conservatives are split. Ahmadinejad’s hard-line allies won the largest share of the votes, but a powerful bloc was formed of supporters-turned-critics of the president’s fiery, confrontational manner and his handling of the ailing economy.

Reformists, who seek greater democracy in Iran and closer ties with the West, appeared likely to at least retain the small bloc they held in the outgoing parliament.

Reform leaders also called the results a success, even though their candidates could not run in at least half the races. The unelected, cleric-led Guardian Council disqualified most – including the most well-known candidates – for insufficient loyalty to Islam and Iran’s 1979 revolution.