TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is facing increasing criticism for his virulent personal attacks on rivals and acting as both "plaintiff and judge" in legal cases, media reported on Thursday.
He has drastically upped the stakes ahead of March parliamentary elections by accusing opponents of being "traitors" for not supporting the government's confrontational stance in the nuclear crisis.
"The general climate of the country has been overwhelmed by propaganda against individuals," complained an angry editorial in the hardline Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, close to Iran's clerical establishment.
"A lawful country does not deserve an individual -- in any position -- to become plaintiff, judge and executor."
Ahmadinejad has also complained of opponents intervening on behalf of a "nuclear spy" -- former nuclear negotiator Hossein Moussavian, who was briefly detained in May on national security-related accusations.
Moussavian in an ally of Ahmadinejad's great rival, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and works for a research centre run by former top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani.
Rowhani -- himself a leading Rafsanjani lieutenant -- also lashed out at Ahmadinejad's comments and his replacing of officials from other political factions with loyalists.
"One cannot eliminate one's rivals. One cannot characterise one's rivals as enemies. One cannot lead the country with just three or ten people," newspapers quoted Rowhani as saying.
He also had harsh words to say about the Moussavian case.
"If someone creates trouble in the country, who should deal with it? It should be dealt with by the judicial system. The executive system does not have the right to accuse anyone," Rowhani said.
"Calling people guilty before the court's decision is a wrongdoing in itself."
Ahmadinejad's intelligence minister, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie, has alleged that Moussavian is a criminal who passed on secrets to the British embassy and whose case "was proven".
The increasingly vicious political exchanges come ahead of legislative elections on March 14, which could be crucial for the future direction of the Islamic republic.
Moderates led by Rafsanjani and former president Mohammad Khatami are seeking to launch a comeback at the expense of Ahmadinejad.
"There has been an auctioning of the reputation of rivals instead of acting on the basis of laws," said Jomhouri Eslami, in a rare attack on Ahmadinejad by a hardline publication.
"Those who have been attacked have no chance to respond to the accusations," it added.
Meanwhile Khatami, who has largely stayed in the shadows after handing the presidency over the Ahmadinejad in 2005, has spoken out over student arrests and has stepped up criticism of his successor.
In a speech to thousands of young people in the holy city of Mashhad late Wednesday, he made a bold call for the release of three students jailed for images published in student newspapers.
"I wish the students who were arrested because of their criticism were here -- even though it was very strong and inappropriate," the Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.
Ejeie has said the students have to serve jail terms owing to the gravity of their crimes.
Khatami also renewed his criticism of Ahmadinejad's economic policies, castigating the president for failing to carry out his main slogan of implementing "justice" in Iran.
"We support justice but justice does not mean the expansion of poverty. We stand against corruption and believe the worst corruption is lying to people," said Khatami.
His comments were echoed by Rowhani, who said Iran would fail to reach its economic goals "with slogans, superstitions and accusations".
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