Khatami, reformists endorse Rohani in presidential election

TEHRAN,June 12(MNA) – Former president Mohammad Khatami issued a message on Tuesday announcing his support for Hassan Rohani’s candidacy in Iran’s Friday presidential election after the pro-reform candidate Mohamad Reza Aref dropped out of the election. In the message, Khatami praised Aref’s sense of obligation and said that he would vote for the centrist candidate Rohani due to the heavy responsibility he felt to the country and the respected nation. He also called on the reformists to see Rohani’s candidacy as a good opportunity to achieve their demands. In a letter addressing the Iranian people published on early Tuesday, Aref said that he decided to pull out of the race after receiving a note from Khatami requesting him to withdraw from the election. In a statement issued on the same day, the council for coordinating the reforms front also endorsed Rohani and thanked Khatami for taking valuable steps to help achieve a consensus between pro-reform and moderate political groups. The consultative council of the reformists also announced on Monday that Rohani would be the reformists’ sole candidate in the election, saying that the council had reached the decision after holding talks with Khatami and Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and conducting a reliable popularity poll.