TEHRAN – Reformists are of the opinion that they should field a single candidate for the next year’s presidential elections, National Confidence Party (NCP) spokesman Esmaeil Gerami-Moqaddam said here on Tuesday.

Former first vice president Mohammad-Reza Aref and NCP Secretary General Mahdi Karrubi met on Monday to discuss the next presidential election. They stressed that reformists should nominate one candidate for the post.
Aref who is currently a member of the Expediency Council acted as first vice president in the Khatami administration.
Karrubi and Aref discussed reformists’ policy in the next presidential elections, Gerami-Moqaddam said.
“Both sides called for massive turnout of reformists in the presidential election” and a “unity in theory” by reformists, Gerami-Moqaddam told Mehr News Agency.
Asked about Karrubi’s nomination if former president Mohammad Khatami runs for the election, he said in such a case the party will take the “final decision”.
In an interview posted on the Reformists Election Headquarters website on April 23, Aref said if Khatami would not be willing to run for the presidential election, he was prepared to contest the post.
“Khatami is the best person for governing the country, however, if for any reason he would not want to appear in the (presidential) arena in regard to problems and threats facing the country, I am prepared to run for the future election,” the website quoted the former chancellor of Tehran University as saying.
Karrubi said on May 27 that the NCP will surely nominate a candidate for the next year’s presidential elections.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s term will expire in mid-summer 2009