Mohammad Khatami calls for a referendum on the legitimacy of the government

PanARMENIAN.Net - People should be asked whether they are happy with the current situation, ex-Iranian President says.



Iranian reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the government, challenging the supreme leader who has backed the result of the disputed June presidential poll.



"The only way out of the current situation is to hold a referendum," websites on Monday quoted Khatami as saying. "People should be asked whether they are happy with the current situation ... If the vast majority of people are happy with the current situation, we will accept it as well."



The election results gave hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory and sparked the biggest demonstrations in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. At least 20 people died in the violence before riot police and Islamic militiamen suppressed the nightly protests.



The election also exposed deep rifts within Iran's ruling elite with defeated reformist candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, Khatami and Rafsanjani continuing to dispute the result even after it was endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful figure who traditionally has the last word on matters of state, Reuters reported.