I wish they hadn't come, the presence of the people and the concerns of Jannati.

Khatami's victory in the 1997 presidential election surprised both domestic and foreign observers.

Initially, few could have predicted Khatami's victory. The main candidate of the leftist faction was Mir Hossein Mousavi, and with his withdrawal, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami entered the electoral arena, even though he and his associates had little hope for his success in the election.

The Leader welcomed Khatami's candidacy with open arms. Khatami was the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and one of the main reasons for his resignation from the ministry in 1992 was the pressures he faced from the Leader's statements. 

Did the Leader foresee the victory of the lesser-known Khatami? If he did, how could he have allowed Khatami to enter a competition where the winner would not only take over that ministry but also dozens of other ministries? A few months later, as the election day approached, many considered Khatami's victory to be certain. However, as Hashemi recounted from his meeting with the Leader, on May 30, three days before the election, the Leader "still considered Nateq Nuri to be ahead, but thought he would reach the second round."

Shortly after the election, the Leader stated that months before the election and the start of the campaigning, some "of the great and esteemed figures of the country" had come to him; "They repeatedly told me that if you have a specific person in mind for the presidency, let us know so we can smooth the situation and guide the people to ensure that happens. I told them that what I have asked from God is 30 million votes. Throughout these months leading up to the election, no matter how much they insisted, the esteemed officials of the country and others heard nothing from me other than this." But did Ayatollah Khamenei have anyone in mind for the election?

 The atmosphere of the 1997 electoral competition was gradually heating up, and many people were preparing to vote. In a speech on May 13, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the claim that "the leadership has no opinion on any of the candidates," stating, "Is it possible not to have an opinion about someone? I don't think anyone knows these candidates as well as I do. I know some from the time of struggle and others from the early days of the revolution's victory, so choosing the best candidate is a natural matter." Following this speech, many analysts concluded that the leader's preference was definitely for Nateq-Nouri. The leader had also endorsed the performance of state television. Meanwhile, Nateq-Nouri's rivals were protesting what was happening in the media.

Ali Larijani, the head of state television, was concerned about the success of Khatami and the left; on Saturday, April 25, 1997, a few weeks before the elections, Hashemi wrote: "In the afternoon, Dr. [Ali] Larijani, [the head of the state television organization], came. He brought the results of the election polling, which showed that as Mr. Nateq-Nouri's chances decreased, Mr. Khatami's chances increased; he expressed concern and sought my help." (Power Transfer, p. 98)

On the eve of the elections, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani also made a statement that became the headline of the Abrar newspaper: "We guess that the Supreme Leader's opinion is in favor of Mr. Nateq-Nouri." Although the leader had not mentioned the name of his preferred candidate to anyone, the electoral atmosphere was such that even General Rafighdoost emphasized in his memoirs after years: "Everyone knew that the Supreme Leader's opinion was for Mr. Nateq." (I say this for history, p. 318)

However, on June 18, 1997, the people elected Khatami and created a new equation. Four years earlier, in the 1993 presidential election, fewer than 17 million people participated.

In the 1997 election, nearly 30 million people took part. Khatami's votes were about twice that of the elected candidate from the previous term. Approximately 4 million votes more than the total participation in 1993 went solely to Khatami.

In 1998, a year after the presidential election, the Assembly of Experts election was supposed to be held. Hashemi Rafsanjani wrote in his memoirs on August 8, 1998, that Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, told him: "There is no need for extensive campaigning, competition, or a large presence of people at the ballot boxes." He wished that this had not happened in the 1997 presidential election either. (In Search of Expediency, p. 329)

Jafar Shirali Nia