Khatami confirmed for second presidential term

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's President Mohammad Khatami was confirmed as president for a second four-year term Thursday by the country's supreme leader in an Islamic religious ceremony attended by several hundred top government, religious and diplomatic officials.

In his confirmation speech, the reformist Khatami emphasized the rule of the people within an Islamic context, adding it was his responsibility to do what the people wanted.

He said the people of Iran should be able to criticize government without fear, and said he needs the cooperation of the other two branches of government to be successful as president, cooperation he hasn't always had in the past.

Khatami, a moderate cleric, has been fighting for greater political freedom and a relaxation of the Iran's strict religious laws. He has been opposed by powerful conservative clerics, led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who fear such reforms will undermine Islamic principles.

Khatami's official inauguration is scheduled for Sunday, August 5, when he will take the oath of office before parliament.

He remains a popular leader, having won reelection June 8 in a landslide victory in which he took 77 percent of the vote.