Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA) Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called Wednesday for clean campaigning during March parliament elections, urging candidates and their supporters to abstain from smearing rivals’ reputations.
“Discrediting and damaging the reputation of individuals in the press, Internet web sites and other means is not correct at all, and is not advisable,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “I strongly request and insist that the sympathizers only propagate and support their favorite candidates and seriously avoid such damaging methods.”
The call by the Leader, who was addressing a large crowd in the provincial capital of Yazd in central Iran, comes prior to the March 14 elections expected to be a key indicator for the 2009 presidential vote.
Former reformist president Mohammad Khatami has said he won’t run in the March elections but has begun publicly supporting reformists who hope to wrestle control of the legislature away from the conservatives.
The Supreme Leader further called for a large turnout at the polls. He said that a significant turnout, “efforts to identify the best candidates, observing correct election behavior and avoiding damaging the candidates are necessary.”
