Mohammad Khatami: We are Far from Free, Competitive Elections

Khatami during the seventh anniversary ceremony of the death of his ally, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in Tehran last month. (Jamaran)
Khatami during the seventh anniversary ceremony of the death of his ally, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in Tehran last month. (Jamaran)
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Mohammad Khatami: We are Far from Free, Competitive Elections

Khatami during the seventh anniversary ceremony of the death of his ally, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in Tehran last month. (Jamaran)
Khatami during the seventh anniversary ceremony of the death of his ally, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in Tehran last month. (Jamaran)

Former Iranian reformist president Mohammad Khatami told political activists that his country is “far from free and competitive elections,” just a few days before the start of the legislative election campaign at the beginning of March.

Senior Iranian officials, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called for a massive participation in the elections, which are the first after the popular protests that shook the country in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Reformist websites quoted Khatami as telling members of the reformist Islamic Iran Solidarity Party that Khamenei’s recent statements “could have brought us closer to the desired elections, but unfortunately the opposite happened.”

He explained that free, fair, and competitive election “is a vote in which not only the reformists and conservatives, but also all other Iranians can have their own candidates.”

Khatami pointed to widespread dissatisfaction among “educated youth, elites, and over 50 percent of the population who abstained from voting in the 2020 and 2021 elections,” saying millions have cast blank votes.

He expressed hope that the government takes the “dissatisfactions seriously and paves the way for free and fair elections in the future.”

The reformist movement has not decided on participating in the elections in light of divisions among influential figures after many prominent candidates were prevented from running in the electoral race.

Some parties of the reformist and moderate movement talk about supporting independent candidates to confront the conservative majority. Those are represented by Ali Motahari, the former deputy speaker of parliament and Ali Larijani’s son-in-law.

Motahari has obtained approval, four years after he was prevented from running in the parliamentary race.

Meanwhile, Mohsen Armin, deputy head of the Reform Front, criticized a statement published by 110 reform activists last week, describing them as a “minority,” as reported by a reformist channel on Telegram.

In the statement, which was widely republished by government media, the activists called for participation in the elections to “open a window” in the conservatives’ dominance of Parliament.

Armin warned of divisions among reformists, saying: “Participation in the elections does not end with any result that guarantees the public good.”

“The majority of reformists demand that participation in the elections bring about a radical change in the political system.”



Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Russia's Lavrov to Discuss Turkish Role in Ending Ukraine War in Visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 18, 2025. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Türkiye on Monday to discuss his country's recent talks with US officials on ending the war in Ukraine, and how Ankara can contribute to the process, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Sunday.

NATO-member Türkiye, which hosted initial negotiations between Russia and Ukraine months after the war began in 2022, "is ready to assume this role in the upcoming period", the source said, requesting anonymity, Reuters reported.

Lavrov's visit coincides with the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The source added that Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan would also discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Syria, where Türkiye will emphasize the need for Syrian territorial unity and the expulsion of terrorists.

US and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh last week to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine, without Kyiv's participation. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The Turkish source said the sides on Monday would discuss steps toward "a just and lasting peace through diplomatic efforts, recent contacts between the US and Russia and the contributions that Türkiye can make to the process".