Rouhani At Saturday's Tehran Campaign Rally[/caption]"This year, 2013, will not be the same as 2009," moderate Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani told crowds in Tehran on Saturday, as his supporters chanted political slogans and called for the release of Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
The 2013 Presidential campaign --- fairly anodyne so far --- changed at Saturday at a campaign rally at Tehran's Jamaran Mosque, during which police arrested several people at the rally, Saedollah Badashti, the head of Rouhani's youth campaign.Radio Farda, quoting the Reformist website Kaleme, also named Mohammad Parsi, Shirin Mirkarami and Mohsen Rahmani among those arrested.
A video published by the Rouhani campaign showed supporters calling for Iran's detained political prisoners to be released, including Mousavi. Rouhani demanded that the country's "securitized atmosphere" be stopped.
"Our people deserve more peace, more freedom, more prosperity, more honor and more security. This is only possible with your presence. Don't let them discourage you. If people don't show up to vote on election day, they have effectively left the field open to your opponents," Rouhani said.
As the crowd called for a coalition between Presidential candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref and Rouhani, Rouhani said that the first step was to "ensure that we have many people lining up to vote".
"I will say this in a vague way --- this year, that is 2013, will not be the same as 2009," Rouhani said.
During his speech at the Jamaran Mosque, Rouhani also told the crowd that: "With your support, we will open all the locks which have been fastened upon people's lives during the past eight years. You - dear students and hero youth - are the ones who have come to restore the national economy and improve the people's living standards. We will bring back our country to the dignity of the past."
Presidential Election Watch: Jalili Edition
Baqeri Denies That Jalili Is Ahmadinejad's Candidate
Jalili's campaign manager, Ali Baqeri,has joined Jaliliin denying that the Supreme National Security Council secretary is the government's candidate of choice.
Refuting the claim that Jalili was supported by the so-called "deviant current", Baqeri said that Jalili is a "true follower" of the Supreme Leader who has consistently acted according to Khamenei's principles and guidelines.
Moreover, Baqeri added, Jalili is the only candidate who "emphasizes the discourse of the Islamic Revolution."
By Enduring America
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