Iranian Opposition Divided Ahead of Presidential Elections

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Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:26:56 +0000
Adam Gonn - AHN Editor

Tehran, Iran (TML) - As the Iranian presidential elections approach, the reformist opposition to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad is failing to rally behind an agreed candidate.

Two of the leadings candidates from the reformist camp are former parliament speaker Mehdi Karoubi and former head of the National Security Council Hasan Rouhani. The opposition parties are still trying to persuade former president Muhammad Khatami to run for office. Another possible candidate is former vice-president Muhammad 'Ali Najafi.

All four have previously expressed vehement opposition to Ahmadi Nejad's policies. Nevertheless, the lack of one agreed person to run for office will cause a division in votes coming from followers of the reformists. Despite his controversial opinions regarding the nuclear program, and his economic policies which brought about 30 percent inflation, Ahmadi Nejad is still regarded the leading candidate to win the June 12, 2009 elections.

"You may consider yourself in power for five more years," Iran's Spiritual Leader Ayatollah 'Ali Khamanai told Ahmadi Nejad a few weeks ago, during the Beijing Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, the second term in office is not guaranteed to Ahmadi Nejad, who is also facing rivals from his own conservative camp.

One such rival is the popular governor of Tehran, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, who also served in the past as Tehran's police chief.

Another leading potential candidate from the conservative camp was 'Ali Larijani, the former chief nuclear negotiator, who was elected as parliament speaker last May. Larijani, however, has announced on Saturday he had no intention of running for presidency.

Larijani served as chief nuclear negotiator until late 2005, when he resigned over differences of opinion with Ahmadi Nejad 's non-compromising hard line view regarding the nuclear program.