[R-G] Ahmadinejad 'Not a Principlist Candidate'

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Unlike in the United States, there are more than two schools of the
power elite for the Iranians to choose from. -- Yoshie

<http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88193&sectionid=351020101>
Ahmadinejad 'not a Principlist candidate'
Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:19:54 GMT

An Iranian Principlist lawmaker dismisses speculations that President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will seek reelection on the Principlist platform.

"Ahmadinejad will be an independent candidate, just as he was in the
previous elections. He ran as an independent and was not backed by the
Principlist camp," Ali Motahari said, according to a Wednesday report
published in Tabnak.

"We will have three groups in the upcoming elections. One will be the
independents which will back Ahmadinejad as their candidate. Another
will be the Reformists and finally the Principlists," he added.

Motahari also rejected claims that the Leader of the Islamic
Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, favors Ahmadinejad.

Ayatollah Khamenei reproached a certain individual who had said
President Ahmadinejad is the Leader's preferred candidate for the June
12 elections, he said.

His comments come as several Principlist lawmakers had recently
implied that Ahmadinejad would be the camp's sole nominee.

Iran has scheduled its 10th presidential elections for June 12, 2009.

Former president Mohammad Khatami, former Majlis speaker Mehdi
Karroubi and the country's last prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi
have announced their bid for the presidential palace on the Reformist
platform.

No candidate has officially entered the race on the Principlist
platform as of yet.