The 1997 Presidential Election: A Reformist Wave
By the mid-1990s, Iran’s post-war society was restless. The Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) had left deep economic and psychological scars, and the conservative political elite seemed unable to address the aspirations of a new generation. When the ruling establishment endorsed Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri — a conservative cleric and speaker of parliament — as their presidential candidate in 1997, few expected his relatively obscure rival, Mohammad Khatami, to mount a serious challenge.
Khatami’s campaign, however, quickly captured the public imagination. His rhetoric of freedom, law, and reform offered a refreshing contrast to the rigid language of ideological purity. He called for a “dialogue among civilizations” rather than confrontation between them — a direct response to Samuel P. Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” theory. His message appealed particularly to young Iranians, women, and intellectuals, who turned out in unprecedented numbers to vote.
On May 23, 1997, Khatami achieved a landslide victory, winning nearly 70% of the vote and defeating Nategh-Nouri by a margin of more than 13 million votes. His election symbolized not just a political change but a generational and cultural awakening.
