Reformist Representatives Call for 'Withdrawal Campaign' Aiming for Unified Electoral List

Following protests against the candidacy of several members of the Reformist High Policy Council in the council elections, 12 reformist representatives in the parliament issued an open letter calling for the launch of a 'withdrawal campaign' and the withdrawal of some reformist candidates in favor of others to present a unified list. According to ILNA, the news agency of Iran, signatories of this letter include Mohammad Ali Vakili, Elias Hazrati, Abdul Karim Hosseinzadeh, Mohammad Javad Fathi, Hamideh Zarabadi, Fatemeh Hosseini, Parvaneh Mafi, and Fatemeh Saidi. These parliament representatives emphasized that the victory of reformists in the council elections in Tehran and major cities is only possible through a unified list, referring to the 'collective wisdom and organizational work' of reformists in the 2013 presidential elections and the 10th parliament. The statement stressed that 'in this unparalleled situation, any action that disrupts the organizational cohesion and unity of the reformist movement will undoubtedly be an unforgivable act.' The authors of this letter urged reformist candidates to participate in the withdrawal campaign to 'strengthen collective movement' and pave the way for the revival of the hope epic. The statement emphasized that 'the sacrifices of decision-makers and their leadership in participating in this campaign will undoubtedly have significant political and cultural impacts and will encourage others to follow suit, proving that the virtue of withdrawal in the interest of unity and collective work is undoubtedly greater than remaining and achieving individual victory.' The reference to 'decision-makers' by these parliament representatives could indicate the Reformist High Policy Council, of which several members, including Ali Soufi, Minister of Cooperatives, and Mohsen Mehralizadeh, head of the Physical Education Organization under Mohammad Khatami's government, have become candidates for the council elections. Meanwhile, Abdul Karim Hosseinzadeh, a member of the Hope faction in parliament, wrote a letter to Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Reformist Policy Council, requesting that members of this council either not run in the council elections or resign from the Reformist Council if they do. In the 10th parliament elections, the Reformist Policy Council made decisions regarding the list of candidates supported by this group. Mohsen Hashemi, son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Dariush Ghanbari, a representative of the 7th parliament, Morteza Alviri, the elected mayor, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, two members of the first Tehran City Council, are among the reformist candidates in the Tehran City Council elections. Most members of the reformist fourth Tehran City Council have also registered as candidates in the elections. In contrast, the conservative camp has fewer prominent figures running compared to the reformists. Hossein Allahkaram, a prominent figure of the Hezbollah group, and most members of the fourth Tehran City Council are among the candidates of this group. Reformists won in the first round of Tehran City Council elections and most major cities. Conflicts among some members of the first city council with Morteza Alviri, the elected mayor, ultimately led to his resignation. After Alviri, Mohammad Hassan Malek Madani was elected as the mayor of Tehran, and conflicts between some city council members and him ultimately led to the dissolution of the city council. In the second city council elections, conservatives, under the title of the 'Abadgaran' coalition, seized all seats in the Tehran City Council, and they also held the majority in the third council. In the fourth Tehran City Council, reformists initially had the majority, but Fatemeh Rashtgoo and Ahmad Danyamali, who had entered the council from the reformist coalition, did not vote for Mohsen Hashemi, the reformist candidate for mayor of Tehran, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf became the mayor of Tehran again. According to the Ministry of Interior, 287,425 people have registered for the council elections, indicating a 14% increase compared to the previous period. Among these, 17,875 candidates, or 6.3% of the candidates, are women. In this context, Khamenei stated: 'Anyone who opposes the people's vote will face me.' The head of the Iranian election headquarters announced that the number of candidates for the council elections has increased threefold, and there is record registration on the last day of registration for the council elections. The election headquarters of Iran reported that more than 287,000 people have registered for the council elections.