Source: Radio Zamaneh
Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iranian reformist, political activist and member of Tehran City Council has supported the conditions set by reformists for participating in coming parliamentary elections.
Masoumeh Ebtekar
Ebtekar told ISNA: "Reformists continue to desire major
reforms in the general political atmosphere of the society." She maintained that
the reformists are often used to turn elections into a hot topic but they are
later held out of the power structure.
Ebtekar went on to add that conditions set out by Mohammad Khatami, former
Iranian president are the minimum requirements for reformists to join the coming
elections.
Khatami has called for the release of political prisoners, full adherence to the
provisions of the constitution as well as open and transparent elections.
Ebtekar said that Mr. Khatami has been criticized because many are of the
opinion that nothing will change. She went on to add that Khatami has an
optimistic outlook of the country's future and believes that all factions must
unite in order to build Iran.
cartoon by Mana Neyestani (facebook fan page)
Following the controversial 2009 presidential elections and
the allegations of vote fraud that led to mass protests and heavy crackdown on
protesters, Iranian reformists have been pushed into a corner in the political
arena of the country and many of their top figures have been arrested and
sentenced to long jail terms.
The reformist candidates in the 2009 election, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi
Karroubi have been put under house arrest since February and referred to as
"leaders of sedition."
Mohammad Khatami, the remaining top reformists figure has been issuing
statements urging the establishment to open up the political atmosphere in order
to bring about more constructive interaction in the political arena.