11.   Khomeini had kept differences inside the ruling clergy under control with his sheer authority.

12.   Many wore the traditional robes of the ruling Shiite Muslim clergy.

13.   Many see the case against Karbaschi as an attempt by hard-liners in the ruling clergy to topple key officials allied with moderate Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.

14.   Tabarzadi, a student activist, is reviled by hard-liners for his opposition to the ruling clergy.

15.   The election was a showdown between hard-line and moderate factions inside the ruling Muslim clergy.

16.   The courts have also been used to quell criticism of the ruling clergy.

17.   The elections will present a fresh test of popularity for politicians aligned with the reformist President Mohammad Khatami and his hard-line rivals in the ruling clergy.

18.   The Revolutionary Guard is an elite military body dedicated to the ruling Islamic clergy.

19.   Another front-runner is parliamentary speaker Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri who is backed by the ruling conservative clergy.

20.   The signs were mostly provided by the Islamic Coalition Organisation, a powerful conservative political group backed the ruling Shiite Moslem clergy.