Iran candidate quits to boost reformist chances

TEHRAN: An Iranian pro-reform candidate announced yesterday that he would withdraw from June 14 presidential election to give support to a centrist whose campaign has gained momentum in recent days.
The decision by Mohammad Reza Aref is seen as a major boost for Hasan Rowhani, who now faces off against five conservative candidates.
Aref’s website Draref.ir said he made the decision at the urging of reformist ex-President Mohammad Khatami. State TV and media also reported his withdrawal.
Aref said he received a message from Khatami telling him that his continued candidacy “is not in the interest” of Iran’s reformers. He said his campaign could be a “base and great social capital” for the reform movement.
Soon after Aref’s statement, Khatami released a message thanking Aref, calling him “dear brother,” urging all reformists vote for Rowhani. “I will give my vote to his excellency the esteemed brother Rowhani. And I ask all reformists to see the presence of Rowhani (in the race) as an opportunity for achieving their demands.”
Khatami is considered a father of Iran’s reform movement, and Aref has been a close ally of Khatami’s since his presidency in 1997-2005. Rowhani has close ties with both Khatami and another influential former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was barred in May from standing in the election by a clerically run constitutional watchdog.
Zahra Mostafavi, the daughter of late founder of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, put out a statement supporting Rowhani.
“Rowhani is the preferred candidate,” said Mostafavi, the head of a women’s association.
On Monday, a hard-line candidate withdrew to avoiding splitting the vote with other conservative candidates.
Under the Iranian system, if no candidate gets a majority in the first round, then the top two have a run-off.