The more radical sectors of Iran’s embattled Reform movement say past experience has taught them not to “hire a candidate” from outside their tribe for the June presidential election.

The concept of “the hired candidate” made its way into Iran’s political discourse with the pro-Reform movement’s endorsement of Hassan Rouhani in 2013 and later for his reelection in 2017. To many members of the camp, that was a choice in reluctance between a lesser of two evils. In their view, Rouhani had never expressed allegiance to their fundamental tenets of genuine reform in the Islamic Republic.

“Due to the limitations the Reformists were facing, the senior members had no option but to endorse Rouhani,” said Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a veteran Reformist politician and close ally of the leader of the Reform movement, Mohammad Khatami. “For the past months, the Reformists have been trying to gain consensus over their new candidate because they intend to avoid introducing a hired candidate.”

The debate has resurfaced every now and then during Rouhani’s term as part of the Reformists’ attempts to disavow his performance and regain their own popularity, which has been fast waning in recent years.