Senior Reformist Analysts Says Reformists Will Back Rouhani in 2017 Presidential Election
(Picture: Rouhani and Mohammad-Reza Aref during the president's official visit to Yazd, Aref's hometown).
Less than four months before the presidential election, Reformist parties have failed to keep their promises of reaching consensus over whether to introduce a candidate to run along sitting President Hassan Rouhani or not. Successive sessions have not only failed to bear fruit, but also created confusion with conflicting comments by different figures within the front.
However, the Executives of Construction of Iran seems to be trying to take the lead in the 12th presidential race. Not only does the economically liberal Reformist party, long affiliated with the newly deceased Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, decline to back potential candidates of other Reformist parties, they have also claimed that the Reformist camp in its totality does not trust former presidential candidate and potential contender Mohammadreza Aref to be capable of presidency and will introduce two other hopefuls--members of the Executives party obviously- as alternatives for Hassan Rouhani.
Is Mohammad Atrianfar, senior member of Executives who first made the claim that Reformists do not trust Aref, articulating the party’s longtime guideline in the presidential elections that should Reformists compete in elections, only a member of the Executives or one close to the party shall get its endorsement?
To answer the question why Atrianfar has made the claim about Aref, always considered close to leaders of the Reformist front, Tabnak has spoken to pro-Reform expert Sadegh Zibakalam.
Zibakalam begins with a discussion of the issues that have impelled Executives to ponder introducing another candidate beside Rouhani. “Several interwoven issues are brought up by some members of Reformist parties as we approach the presidential race. The first issue is that of an alternative candidate. Reformists have suspicions that Hassan Rouhani might be disqualified in the upcoming election, in which case the whole Reformist camp must be prepared to line behind another option,” Zibakalam told Tabnak.
“This resembles the 2013 presidential election. When the late Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was barred from running, two other candidates, namely Aref and Rouhani, were backed by Hashemi and Reformist heavyweights to avoid failure of their plans,” the Tehran University professor added.
Zibakalam went on saying that the Reformist leader, Mohammad Khatami, foresees a likely similar mishap in the upcoming election and is warning that the camp should be watchful not to be caught by surprise. “It requires some contemplation because the situation in 2017 is not necessarily the same as it was in 2013 and we do not have to show the same reaction to the disqualification of the Reformist candidate,” he added.
“We can turn a blind eye to the case of the late Hashemi Rafsanjani. We can also ignore hundreds of other cases [of Reformist presidential hopefuls] who were disqualified. However, the Reformists should not yield to Rouhani’s disqualification without objection, soothing themselves for having options such as Aref, [former education minister Mohammad-Ali] Najafi, or [incumbent Vice President] Es’hagh Jahangiri to replace him. Such a reaction may be appropriate in terms of political expediency, but it is not helpful in terms of diplomatic progress, which is actually the main goal for the Reformists,” Zibakalam added.
Referring to remarks made by several officials over the past months that Hassan Rouhani’s eligibility for the next presidential election will be vetted like other candidates, Zibakalam said the Reformists should not easily let go of the issue and should not pave the way for the violation of the individual’s legal civil rights, that is, to run for office. “The Reform leaders should also firmly stand against it,” he told Tabnak.
Zibakalam then discuss the scenario in which an alternative candidate by the Reformist front is introduced to speculate who could be that candidate. “The final decision is for the group of politicians who lead the Reformist camp, among whom the late Hashemi Rafsanjani played a major role,” he said. “Now that he is absent, Mohammad Khatami’s duty is heavier,” Zibakalam noted.
“In the months leading to the election, Mr. Khatami will be the pillar of the Reformist camp. I believe that the Reformists should agree when he opts for Aref, Najafi, or Jahangiri to run as the alternative candidate. Such a decision is not up to [Reformist politician and former Tehran mayor] Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi or Sadegh Zibakalam to make, even though we are all free to express our views.”
Speaking on the required specs of an alternative candidate, Zibakalam stressed the popularity and managerial capabilities. “In terms of popularity, Mohammad-Reza Aref definitely excels. But is popularity enough for us to choose one as a presidential candidate? The answer is no. Even though popularity counts, managerial capabilities of the individual are more important,” Zibakalam added. He added that both Najafi and Jahangiri have better records in executive matters, compared to Aref.
He criticized Aref for his inability to lead his fellow Reformist parliamentarians. According to Zaibakalam, Aref’s inability is demonstrated in the Tenth Parliament that inaugurated eight months ago, where the Reformist faction, dubbed the Hope Bloc, failed to dominate even a minor committee, despite claims to have more than one hundred representatives in the parliament. “The question is why a faction that boasts a third of the parliament fails to secure even a single chair,” Tabnak quoted Zaibakalam as saying.
Zibakalam then argued that the Reformist candidate would be chosen after a consensus, he expects the consensus to be achieved behind closed doors with the Reformist leader. Stressing on the collective decision-making process and the role of the Reformist leader at the same time, Zibakalam dismisses Atrianfar’s remarks about Aref as personal opinions.
In response to a question on whether the Executives would seek to introduce their own candidate, Zibakalam said the party had no interest in Aref because they prioritize managerial records, hence prefer Rouhani or a figure close to their party. Zibakalam reiterated that a collective decision would be made behind closed door, as member of the Executives and other influential Reformist spectra would come to an agreement on Hassan Rouhani, as they did back in 2013.
* This piece was originally published in Tabnak, a website affiliated with former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei. Minor modifications have been applied to the text to make it more readable.