Political analysts wonder: Who will lead reforms after Khatami?

Tehran Times:

TEHRAN -- President Mohammad Khatami was only a prominent member of the reformist movement, not a leader, political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam said on Sunday.

Commenting on the issue of reforms in Iran and the question of who would lead the reformist movement after President Khatami, Zibakalam told the Mehr News Agency, “Khatami has not led reforms in Iran that he can hand it (the leadership) over to someone else. “Khatami is not a figure who can be referred to as the leader of a political party, because he only became one of the distinguished figures of this movement after his election as president.”

Political activist Mashallah Shamsolvaezin noted on Sunday that the reformist movement requires guidance rather than a leader, since the reform process is taking place among the people and will continue to grow at a rapid pace.

Instead of establishing a political party, Khatami formed a non-governmental organization called the Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations, Shamsolvaezin said. “This is because he realized that he couldn’t campaign in a movement in the name of reforms, given the country’s political situation.

“Khatami is the champion of pools rather than of seas,” he observed.

Deputy Chairperson of the Islamic Iran Participation Party (IIPP) Elaheh Koolaee on Monday called the reform movement a social movement that has not had a specific leader over the past eight years.

Khatami cannot be called the leader of the reformist movement, she opined. The expansion of reforms in society depends on its intellectuals and planners, not a particular figure, Koolaee noted.

Reforms are a demand of the Iranian nation and will not come to an end with the termination of Khatami’s tenure, she added.

IIPP Central Council member Mostafa Derayati said on Monday that Khatami was a symbol rather than a leader of the reforms.

Khatami was the head of Iran’s government and performed his duties efficiently within the framework of the Constitution, he stated.

The president himself frequently declared that he did not act as the leader of the reformists, he said.

Derayati called on reformist political parties and groups, which have recently fallen from power, to try to find their rightful position in society.

Mohammad Razavi Yazdi of the Association of Combatant Clerics said on Monday that it was Khatami’s ideas that made him a leader of the reformists.

Khatami’s ideas will not end with the end of his tenure, Razavi Yazdi observed. “Anyone with any post can render service to the reformist movement, but Khatami will certainly remain the reformists’ successful leader.”

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Solidarity Party Mohammad Reza Khabbaz noted on Monday that Khatami is still powerful enough to remain the leader of the reformist movement.

Most reformist figures approve of Khatami, and whether he will or will not remain leader depends upon his own decision, he said.

“Khatami has not lost favor among the reformists. On the contrary, he has even become more popular,” Khabbaz observed.

The outgoing president has expressed the desire to recruit efficient managers for his proposed Elite Foundation and said that carrying out expert social, political, and reformist activities would be the main goal of his new organization, he added.

Acting chairman of the Democracy Party Gholam Hussein Khorshidi called Khatami one of the main figures of the reformist leadership on Monday.

“Whoever elaborates on concepts better will inevitably become the leader, even if he does not want it,” Khorshidi said.

However, Khatami’s position in the reformist movement was diminished when he was forced to compromise on various issues while administering the country, he added.