No coalition between Iran 's moderate party with conservatives
August 29 , Teheran (Deutsche Presse / dpa) - There is to be no link-up
between the moderates close to President Mohammad Khatami and the conservative
opposition to form a coalition for next year's parliamentary elections,
the Teheran daily Khordad reported Sunday.
``This statement has been released to stop rumours about a coalition
between the G6 party (moderates) and conservative factions in the parliamentary
elections to be held in February 2000,'' the daily said.
The moderate G6 party - together with the leftist MRM and labour factions
- supported Khatami and propelled him to a landslide victory in the May
1997 presidential elections with over 70 per cent of the votes.
The coming parliamentary elections are widely regarded as the next important
step in order to transfer the legislative power to the reformists after
the changes in the judiciary power earlier this month which shifted in
favour of the pro-Khatami reformists.
There are also heated discussions over the return of former President
Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani to Iran 's political limelight by attending the
parliamentary elections..
Hashemi-Rafsanjani was succeeded in August 1997 by Mohammad Khatami
after an eight-year presidential term and is now heading the Expediency
Council, which is in charge for settling legislative and political disputes.
The moderates and the conservatives try to expose Rafsanjani as their
top candidate and include him in their nominee lists but observers believe
that the former president will either run independently or will allow all
factions to introduce him in their lists.
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