On Dec. 26, Mehdi Karroubi, one of the candidates in the disputed 2009 presidential election who later emerged as a leader of the Green Movement, resigned from his post as secretary-general of his political party. Karroubi, a former parliament speaker, has been on house arrest along with fellow Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi since 2011. Karroubi founded the Reformist National Trust Party in 2005 following his defeat in the presidential election that year.
In his letter to party members, Karroubi wrote, “As you know, the circumstances of the house arrest have prevented the possibility of pursuing matters such as the issues of the party, and my information and news about this is limited. … I urge all friends to strictly avoid any kind of disagreement and differences that can lead to expulsions or tension among the dear members of the party.”