TEHRAN – Reformist MP Mohammad Reza Khabbaz has said that Mohammad Khatami would back Mahdi Karrubi in the upcoming presidential elections, the National Confidence Party announced on Wednesday.

“In a meeting, we asked him (Khatami) to run for the upcoming elections but he did not accept this request and said ask Mr. Karrubi to enter this arena and we support him,” Khabbaz told the NCP members in Ardebil, northwest Iran.
Khabbaz reiterated this announcement by him is not intended to discourage former president Khatami from running for election or those who try to convince him to accept candidacy.
Khabbaz said the NCP central council members unanimously asked former Majlis speaker Karrubi to run for the elections; however, he added, “This invitation does not mean that he will certainly accept the candidacy.”
The MP said it is up to him whether to accept or not.
Khabbaz who sits on the NCP central council represents the people of Kashmar, Khorasan Razavi province, in the parliament.
He said the NCP is very serious in contesting the election to defend the “system and (national) sovereignty.”
“We will try to establish democracy in the country and turn dissatisfaction into satisfaction.”
The MP evaluated the atmosphere as ripe for winning the next year’s presidential elections. However, he said, “The conditions are not such that we can easily change the public opinion because print media attract only 5% of the audience while 95% of people are audience of (the Islamic Republic of) Iran Broadcasting and this is not in our hands.”