Khatami may pull out of Iranian election race

FORMER Iranian president Mohammed Khatami said he may pull out of June’s presidential race to avoid splitting the vote if another reformist candidate can pose a stronger challenge to the country’s hard-line establishment.

Khatami told supporters late on Sunday he believed another influential reformist candidate, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, has a better chance of overcoming resistance from Iran’s ruling clerics.

Iran’s reformers see a strong opportunity to unseat hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is seeking his second term but has lost popularity over his handling of the country’s faltering economy and other issues.