Radical reformers found new left-wing party in Iran
TEHRAN, Feb 9 (AFP) - Left-wing supporters of reformist Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami announced the formation of a new party Tuesday ahead of
the country's first ever local elections.
The left-wing minority in Iran's conservative-dominated parliament
said they were forming the Islamic Labour Party to encourage political
participation by the working class.
The group, which is close to official trade unions here, wanted to
encourage "working groups' greater participation in political life,"
party member and former labour minister Abolqasem Sarhadi-Zadeh told the
official news agency IRNA.
The move is part of increasing wave of political activity ahead of
landmark council elections on February 26, seen as a key move in democratising
state institutions here.
The elections have highlighted the rift between radical and moderate
supporters of Khatami and his conservative opponents as both sides seek
to strengthen their local power base ahead of parliamentary elections due
next year.
The party's founding members also include the head of the state-sponsored
House of Labour, Alireza Mahjub, left-wing Tehran woman MP Soheila Jelodarzadeh
and MP Abdulrahman Tajedin.
The new formation follows the founding in December of the moderate
Islamic Iran Participation Front, set up to support Khatami's democratisation
drive.
Khatami's government has pressed for the formation of political parties
to pave the way for a more democratic society.
But his efforts have often run into opposition from hardline conservatives
who fear a fast pace of reform may undermine the fundamental principles
of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The new parties have come amid signs of fractures in the moderate-leftist
coalition under mounting conservative pressure.
Some moderates are reportedly seeking to distance themselves from the
leftists, who sometimes demand more radical changes than Khatami may be
ready to embark on.
Iran's constitution allows in principle the formation of political
parties, provided they respect the Islamic regime and believe in the constitution.
Despite the virtual absence of parties in Iran up until now, many political
and religious organisations loyal to the regime have been active as pressure
groups, lobbying in the interests of various tendencies within the dominant
clergy.
Among the more influential is the Association of Combatant Clergy,
a grouping of powerful conservative clerics linked to religious centres
and wealthy traditional merchants.
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