Iran's moderate presidential candidate opposed to extremism

Iran's moderate presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani said that he is against extremism and everyone who opposes extremism will vote for him in the upcoming presidential election, local media reported Sunday. "We should put extremism aside; I am opposed to extremism and believe that all those who oppose extremism in Iran will come to the ballot box and vote for me," Rouhani, who formerly served as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, was quoted as saying by Tehran Times daily. "I believe that a number of pro-principlist voters will also vote for me, because they oppose extremism, too," he added. The remarks of Rouhani is an allusion to the policies of the ruling conservative hardliners in the country over the past eight years, which, according to the reformists and the moderate political figures of Iran, have driven the country to the fringes of economic crisis and social distress. On Saturday, the security forces of Iran arrested seven people in the presidential election campaign of Rouhani, the opposition website kaleme.com reported on Sunday. The arrests were followed the participants' slogan which called for the release of an opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is under home arrest for more than two years following the unrest of Iran's disputed presidential election in 2009. Iranian media said that Rouhani and another reformist candidate, Mohammad-Reza Aref, are in negotiations to build a united front to compete for the presidential election with one candidate. According to Iran's Interior Ministry, nearly 50.5 million eligible Iranians will vote for eight candidates who have been qualified by Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution for the upcoming presidential election slated for June 14.