Khatemi Dashes Reformists’ Hope for Running in Election

A00268866.jpgTEHRAN (FNA)- Former Iranian President Seyed Mohammad Khatami has decided against making a third run for the office and instead will endorse another reform candidate, sources say.

The reformist cleric, instead of challenging current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will throw his support to former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

Khatemi’s reported decision comes shortly after he was urged by some reform-minded Iranians to not run again, instead giving someone else a chance to take up the banner.

Mousavi, 67, is a well-known Iranian political figure, serving as the country’s last prime minister until 1989 when the position was removed as part of a constitutional amendment and its responsibilities divided between the president and the first vice president.

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