By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran’s reformist National Confidence Party (NCP) has officially nominated its leader Mehdi Karroubi as party’s candidate in the country’s next presidential election due to be held mid-2009, the Press TV satellite channel reported Wednesday.
Karroubi was nominated unanimously to run for the president in Iran’s 10th presidential race as the party’s candidate, spokesman Ismail Gerami-Moqaddam was quoted as saying.
The former parliament speaker for two terms has not yet responded to his party’s choice and will announce his decision in the coming weeks, Gerami-Moqaddam added.
Karroubi, secretary general of the party, stood as a candidate in the 9th presidential elections in 2005.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to prepare for a second term in office.
Ahmadinejad has been facing criticism from the public and pro-reform opponents over the state of country’s economy and rising inflation.
Iran’s inflation rate hit about 26 percent this year, leaving price hikes the biggest problem for ordinary Iranians.