The Coordination Council of the Reformist Front has issued a statement calling on former president Mohammad Khatami to run in the 2013 presidential election.
The statement, published in ISNA and ILNA, states that the reformists have reached a consensus in choosing Mohammad Khatami as their candidate for the presidential race.
The council reports that it made its choice after considering the state of Iran’s economy, politics, society, and culture and its place on the world stage, and after consulting with experts, groups and reformist parties.
The Council of the Reformist Front is comprised of 16 reformist and progressive groups. Its statement joins the chorus of voices calling for Khatami to run, including 91 top reformist figures as well as other reformist groups and clerics.
Despite the pressure from reformist groups, it is not still clear if the establishment is prepared to accept reformists participating in the election. The reformists were severely sidelined after the 2009 election, and the regime’s conservative factions accused them of sedition.
