Abdollah Nouri Withdraws From Race
» Because of Presidential Election Uncertainties
The news of this veteran politician and reformer’s withdrawal was made by his son, Mohsen Nouri, in speaking with ILNA labor news agency who stressed that, “because of the current uncertain conditions and the various concerns and the conclusions reached by Mr. Nouri following the discussions that were held, his participation is now a moot issue.” Mohsen Nouri also said that his father would personally explain his reasoning and “concerns” at the appropriate time.
In recent days, Abdollah Momeni, the spokesperson for the Daneshamookhtegan student organization, one of the key groups supporting Nouri for the presidency, had spoke with Etemad newspaper about the necessity of continuing the debates on the presidential election “to strengthen democracy in society” and the need for the “will to change the status quo”.
In the interview Momeni said that “under conditions in which there are individuals who viewed elections as a way to get into the country’s power centers and directly or indirectly enjoy the privileges they offered, it is clear that such individuals will sacrifice their public goals and principles to maintain their positions. Such methods are not acceptable to any reformist or pro-democracy thinker”. He continued, “We have always looked at elections as a preparatory ground for fundamental reforms which will not be accomplished by mere shuffling of personalities and posts. Implementing reforms requires decisive, courageous, and thoughtful leadership tied to an extensive and organized movement. We believed that reformist groups and those advocating change could form a ‘coalition’ and succeed in presenting a single presidential candidate, which unfortunately for reasons that require a separate discussion, did not materialize.”
While Nouri’s withdrawal has become the leading headline in many news sites and media outlets, most of Iran’s media, government affiliated media and the official reformist groups have remained silent on the issue confining themselves to a short news report.
