TEHRAN - A Majlis lawmaker from the majority conservative faction has downplayed the possibility that former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi would run in the 2009 presidential election as the candidate of reformists, saying his views are not in harmony with those from the reformist camp.

“Mirhossein’s mentality is not in conformity with the mentality of reformists and it is unlikely that Mirhossein to enter the election race as the candidate of reformists,” Rouhollah Hosseinian told the Mehr News Agency on Sunday.
The presidential election will be held on June 12, 2009.
Reformists are pressing former president Mohammad Khatami to run in the June election. However, he is reluctant to contest the presidential post.
There have been some reports that Khatami may convince Mousavi to run as the reformists’ candidate. However, in the previous elections Khatami failed to convince Mousaiv to run for president.
Hosseinian described the talks about the Mousavi candidacy as part of a “psychological warfare” by the reformist groups.
The MP added that Mousavi is respected by all political factions and he has done a great service for the Islamic system but the situation has changed greatly since the time he was prime minister.
Hosseinian said there is a deep division among the reformists and they have much difficulty in bridging their differences in the run-up to the presidential race.
“Currently, there is a major and deep division among the reformists and they cannot easily” resolve their differences, he noted.
He also said if Khatami runs in the election all conservatives will back the incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“We welcome the presence of Khatami because his presence will cause all principlists gather behind Ahmadinejad.”
Mousavi was prime minister from 1981 to 1989 when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was president. The post of prime minister was abolished in an amendment to the constitution in 1989.