To help Mousavi further, Rafsanjani has thrown open the doors of the 300 branches of Azad University throughout the provinces to his supporters, allowing them to deliver speeches and organize inside their halls; they are often barred from using government facilities by local officials loyal to Ahmadinejad.
To counter the effect of hard-line Basiji militiamen who support Ahmadinejad, organizers have tapped into a network of students and student activists that number 3 million.
Ahmadinejad himself has repeatedly acknowledged the forces arrayed against him, casting himself as a populist hero under attack by entrenched vested interests. In a rollicking televised debate with Mousavi on Wednesday night, he accused Rafsanjani and his family of organizing to thwart his reelection by providing support to all three challengers.
"In the early days of this government, Mr. Hashemi sent a message to the king of one of the countries along the Persian Gulf and told him, 'Don't worry, within six months this government will fall,' " Ahmadinejad said. "These remarks clearly indicated the plans against this administration."
The other challengers -- former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezai -- have strong ties to Rafsanjani as well as Iran's highest circles of power.
The goal has been to build a base to overcome Ahmadinejad's base among rural voters, who have benefited from his populist largesse, and his support among hard-line figures in the Revolutionary Guard and Basiji.
But the primary challenge has been to sway or pressure the supreme leader, who remains the nation's ultimate arbiter of power, to withhold his support from the president.
"It's very civilized, like a game of chess," said one figure in Rafsanjani's inner circle. "But our game is with Khamenei. Ahmadinejad is just a pawn."
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daragahi@latimes.com
Special correspondent Ramin Mostaghim contributed to this report.
