‘Aref and Rohani must decide if one will drop out of election’

TEHRAN,June 9(MNA) – Candidates Hassan Rohani and Mohammad Reza Aref must decide if one of them will drop out of the presidential election, the chairman of Rohani’s campaign office said on Saturday. There is speculation that either Rohani, a moderate principlist candidate, or Aref, a pro-reform contender, may withdraw in favor of the other ahead of Friday’s election. “I am not aware of the details of decisions… they themselves should decide about this issue,” Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh told the Mehr News Agency. Aref, who arrived in Mashhad on Saturday on an election campaign, said that he will not withdraw from the race in favor of Rohani. “I will remain in the election until the last day and will not withdraw in favor of anybody,” Aref noted. Members of the Reform Front attended a meeting at Aref’s office on Saturday and announced their support for his candidacy. Rohani’s popularity rose after debates “Our assessment is that after the (presidential) debates, the situation has improved in favor of Rohani,” and opinion polls also confirm this, Nematzadeh said.