Khatami crushes opponents, wins landslide mandate
TEHRAN: President Mohammad Khatami crushed his opponents in Iran's presidential elections, winning an unexpectedly decisive mandate to forge ahead with his controversial democratic reforms. The 57-year-old, accused by conservatives of undermining the Islamic regime by allowing unprecedented freedoms, showed the people were clearly on his side after romping to a second term with nearly 80 per cent of the popular vote. With 10 out of 28 provinces counted nationwide by early Saturday, Khatami had already secured another four years in an office he once said he didn't want to hold again in the face of harsh conservative opposition. His nearest of nine challengers, conservative former labour minister Ahmad Tavakoli, managed just 14.3 per cent while voters gave the popular mid-ranking cleric an untouchable 79.88 per cent, the interior ministry said. Eight other candidates divided the rest of the votes in an election seen as conceded by conservatives before it began. President Khatami has proved that he remains a popular figure nationally since winning the presidency in a landslide four years ago. Born in October 1943 to a religious family from Ardakan in the southern province of Yazd, the charismatic 57-year-old has emerged as the leader of a movement dedicated to social and political reform of the Islamic republic. But in the course of his presidency his efforts have encountered strong opposition from conservatives who control many of the levers of power in Iran. The rosy-cheeked president, known for his impeccable style, speaks English, Arabic and German. A student of Islam and philosophy who attained the second-highest clerical rank of Hojatoleslam, he has a passion for writers and thinkers such as Descartes, Tolstoy and Goethe. He has kept wife Zohreh Sadeqi and their children - daughters Leila, 25, and Nargess, 20, and son Emad, 14, largely out of the public spotlight. Unlike many other clerics, Khatami served his two-year mandatory military service in the Army of the former imperial regime, but nevertheless remained politically active in the anti-Shah campaign. After the revolution, he was a newspaperman and member of Parliament before becoming head of the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance for ten years up until 1992. He headed the national library before winning the Presidency on May 23, 1997 and is the author of several books. Khatami's speeches often reflect his wide interests in art, architecture and poetry, which have helped make him a popular figure among women as well as young people. The president has worked to push forward political reforms and ease social restrictions in a country where 70 per cent of the 62-million strong population are under the age of 35. Women and youth enjoy a greater presence in the country's political landscape since his election, with khatami now up against three female rivals who have registered to compete against him in the presidential race. The reformist cleric in 1999 ensured Iran held its first-ever municipal elections, and allowed a vibrant and outspoken press to flourish. His reform supporters captured a majority in parliament last year. He has also worked to restore Iran's image on the international stage, becoming the first Iranian head of state to visit western Europe since the revolution with trips to Italy and Germany. Under Khatami, Iran has also mended fences with its neighbours in the Persian Gulf. But his tenure has also seen major setbacks to his reform movement. Leading nationalists and liberal writers were assassinated in late 1998 in a series of brutal killings blamed on "rogue" secret service agents. The closure of a pro-Khatami newspaper in July 1999 - a foretaste of a crackdown on the press by the conservative-controlled courts - set off six days of deadly rioting in Tehran and the provinces. Since then over 30 mostly pro-reform papers and journals have been closed down, while dozens of journalists and Khatami allies have been jailed or are pending trial. (AFP)
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