Moderation Key to Reformism

Prominent lawmaker Mohammad Reza Aref refuted the idea that their allied moderate camp—led by President Hassan Rouhani—would be ignored in future elections by his catch-all reformist faction. “Moderation is not a discourse, but a political approach that lies at the core of reformism. The country needs moderate policies,” IRNA quoted Aref as saying in a recent talk. Aref underscored the fact that no political faction should be underestimated and said “all the [political] potentials need to be exploited to help the country’s progress.”

His latest support for moderates comes as the lawmaker had previously suggested his camp could part ways with moderates over poor reformist representation in Rouhani’s Cabinet.

Reformists were instrumental in Rouhani’s rise to power when they threw their weight behind him in the 2013 election. However, disputes over reformist underrepresentation compelled the reformists to walk out of the alliance and go alone in this year’s city council elections, a gamble that proved hugely successful after they swept all the 21 seats in Tehran.