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Source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,584526,00.html
Searching for the Antidote to Ahmadinejad
[Der Spiegel-Germany] Dieter Bednarz - Mohammed Atrianfar, 55, editor-in-chief of the weekly Iranian political magazine Sharwand-e Emrus (Citizens of Today), is confident that the reformers can regain their former popularity in the 2009 presidential elections. According to Atrianfar's calculations, there is significant vote potential for former President Mohammad Khatami. In the last presidential election, reformist candidates captured 16 million votes, while the traditionalists and radical conservatives under Ahmadinejad received only 12 million votes. Surveys, even those conducted by the right, indicate that Khatami is still a popular hero. In those polls, the religious scholar is a full 27 points ahead of the revolutionary fanatic Ahmadinejad. "Very few people have our president's talent," Atrianfar says derisively, "to alienate so many friends and supporters."