With the Iranian public's growing discontent with moderate President Hassan Rouhani, the country's Reformists are trying to keep him at arm's length. But this has done little to appease voters who blame most of the government inadequacies in recent years on the political behavior of the Reform movement.
The last litmus test for Reformists came in 2017 when they took over city council seats in the capital Tehran and other major constituencies after landslide victories in local polls held in parallel with the presidential vote.
