Machine summary:
Among the four candidates for the presidency, did Mr. Khatami lack anything in terms of revolutionary records, fame and affiliation to the revolution? Mateen: To be clear, there were different tendencies, but the candidate who was proposed as an important part of the government was someone else. I pose my question like this, what were the things in Mr. Khatami's positions that distinguished him from others and witnessed the widespread popularity of the people? Hashemi Rafsanjani: I don't agree with the first part of your question that they were the governing body. It was just a point, and in order for me not to give you a diplomatic answer,I say this, of course you also know that Jinnah was against him in the parliament and in other places, they had shown some kind of social strictness that people don't like. Today, after several years of experience (which are the last days of his presidency), the question is raised, which of these two views is more compatible with the existing realities from a political and social point of view? Hashemi Rafsanjani: Historically speaking, Mr. Khatami himself belonged to the strict faction. Hashemi Rafsanjani: These two words are completely separate in our culture. The legitimacy from the Shia point of view is that the government goes from Hazrat Ali (a.s.) to the Imams (a.s.) and, in their absence, to the jurist Jame al-Shariat, who must be the ruler during his absence, and today Pledge of allegiance and voting are other issues that seek acceptance.