The reformist camp should not serve merely as an instrument of the government but rather needs to independently field and endorse its own candidates in presidential elections, says a pro-reform politician. "In the latest presidential elections, we served as a ladder for Mr. Hassan Rouhani. However, we should not play this role in the next election," Mostafa Kavakebian, secretary general of the Democracy Party, told Tasnim News Agency in an interview published Saturday.
He was referring to the fact that reformists and their backers threw their full weight behind Hassan Rouhani, who secured a decisive reelection for a second four-year term in the summer of last year.
The politician believes that reformists should draw a fine line between themselves and presidential contenders, be it a moderate such as Rouhani or a conservative like Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who could be one of the candidates in the 2021 presidential vote.
"We should do something so that people can pin their hopes on us. One of the things that we have to do is…to tell people that the line of both Mr. Larijani and Mr. Rouhani is different than that of the reformists," added Kavakebian. He is a member of the parliament’s ‘Hope’ faction
Reformist Comeback
Conservatives, aka Principlists, are staunch believers in the ideological foundations of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, while reformists advocate gradual economic and social change within the existing system. Reformists experienced a fallow period after the 2008 parliamentary elections when some of them decided not to run and others were disqualified by the Guardian Council, which is in charge of vetting candidates seeking public office.
The reformist camp, however, staged a dramatic comeback by throwing its weight behind Rouhani in the 2013 presidential election, helping him to emerge victorious. Their parliamentary election victory in 2016 was rare and impressive when they swept all 30 seats in the highly influential Tehran constituency. However, beyond the capital, their gains were limited, with conservatives keeping hold of many seats in the 290-member law making assembly.
In 2017, only reformists were elected to the Tehran City Council, a body in charge of appointing the mayor and managing the affairs of the sprawling metropolis of 12 million people.
New Initiatives
Kavakebian said reformists themselves should take up the reform baton instead of sympathizing with other groups, adding that like-minded MPs are working on new initiatives toward this end. "It will take time, but we have not lost hope." He said reformists have so far supported Rouhani but if they want to have a voice in the next presidential race, they need to stop leaning towards the current administration, more so because the president has failed to deliver on some of his campaign promises.
"Reformists may not nominate a candidate for the election. But if they do decide to run, they have to back their own candidate."
Campaign Vows
Commenting on the performance of the Rouhani administration, Kavakebian, who represents Tehran in parliament, noted that he does not want to criticize the government because it is striving to fulfill its pledges “but the current pace is too slow and not satisfactory.” Issues related to cyberspace, scientific and technological development, the right of assembly and political development are some of the challenges that need to be addressed in a speedy manner, the lawmaker said.
