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Template:Infobox Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدینژاد; born 1956), also written Ahmadinezhad, is the sixth President of Iran since August 3, 2005.
Ahmadinejad was the mayor of Tehran from May 3, 2003 until June 28, 2005, and is widely considered to be a religious conservative with Islamist and populist views. Ahmadinejad was a civil engineer and a professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology before his mayorship.
Politically, Ahmadinejad is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers [1], but he has a more powerful base inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (also known as Abadgaran). Ahmadinejad is considered one of the main figures in the alliance. The alliance was divided in supporting him and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in the first round of the presidential election, and while the members of the City Council of Tehran supported Ahmadinejad, the parliamentary representatives of Tehran supported Ghalibaf.
Election
Ahmadinejad was elected President of Iran on June 24, 2005, in the second round of the 2005 presidential election over his rival, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, whom Ahmadinejad defeated with 61.69% of the vote out of about twenty-eight million votes, with an official turnout of about 59.6%, in an election his opponents claim were marred by allegations of voter fraud. Before the first round of voting, some 1,000 candidates were disqualified by the Iranian Council of Guardians, leaving seven candidates to officially run in the first round. However, some basic requirements, such as being an experienced politician, are checked after registration, and people without qualifications are not banned from registering. Rafsanjani had won the highest number of votes in the first round, while Ahmadinejad had secured 19.48% of the votes as the runner-up. Ahmadinejad's win was attributed to the populariity of his simple lifestyle and populist views amongst the poor and lower classes which viewed him as an alternative to Rafsanjani. Proponents see him as a modest well-educated religious man whose power has not corrupted him. He has strong and wide support among both ordinary and educated people in the country. Ahmadinejad has chosen the most educated government of Iran compared to the previous presidents.
Platform
Ahmadinejad has generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, which some US-based analysts consider to have been designed to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes. His campaign motto was "It's possible and we can do it" (میشود و میتوانیم).
In his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad had taken a populist approach, with emphasis on his own simple life, and had compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, the second President of Iran — a claim that raised objections from Rajai's family. Ahmadinejad plans to create an "exemplary government for the world people" in Iran. He is a self-described principlist; that is, acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals is "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", referring to Iran's oil profits being distributed amongst the poor.
Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. Also, in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting a few days before the elections, Ahmadinejad accused the United Nations of being "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He has openly opposed the veto power given to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. In the same interview, he mentioned that "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." In addition, he has defended Iran's nuclear program and has accused "a few arrogant powers" of attempting to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields. In a question by a Shargh journalist about the release of political prisoners in case he becomes president, Ahmadinejad answered with a question: "Which political prisoners? The political prisoners in the United States?"
After his election he proclaimed, “Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 [the current Iranian year] will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world.” He said, “The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world.” [2]
During his campaign for the second round, he said "we didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government [...] This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government" [3]. Also he has mentioned that he has an extended program on fighting terrorism in order to improve foreign relations and has called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "People should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours."
Ahmadinejad usually avoids interviews with independent journalists, or avoids answering their questions by asking other questions [4] and asking them not to ask "complicated questions". [5]
Personal Life and Service
Born in the Arādān village near Garmsar, the son of a blacksmith, his family moved to Tehran when he was one year old. He entered Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering in 1976. He continued his studies in the same university, entering the MSc program for civil engineering in 1986, the same time he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (see below), and finally receiving his PhD in Traffic and transportation engineering and planning. The graduate program was a special program for the Revolutionary Guards members funded by the organization itself. After graduation, Ahmadinejad became a professor at the civil engineering department at IUST.
In 1979, Ahmadinejad was the head representative of IUST to the unofficial student gatherings that occasionally met with the Ayatollah Khomeini. In these sessions, the foundations of the first Office for Strengthening Unity (daftar-e tahkim-e vahdat), the student organization of which several members behind seizure of the United States embassy which led to the Iran hostage crisis, were created. Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office of Strengthening Unity. Before the seizure of the embassy, Ahmadinejad had suggested a simultaneous or similiar attempt against the Soviet Union embassy, but was voted down, resulting in independent pursuit of the idea by its proponents.
During the Iran-Iraq war, Ahmadinejad joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in 1986. After training at the headquarters, he saw action in extraterritorial covert operations against Kirkuk, Iraq. Later he also became the head engineer of the sixth army of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the head of the Corps' staff in the western provinces of Iran. After the war, he served as vice governor and governor of Maku and Khoy, an Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the governor of the then newly established Ardabil province from 1993 to October 1997.
Early Political Career
Ahmadinejad was mostly an unknown figure in Iranian politics until he was elected Mayor of Tehran by the second City Council of Tehran on May 3, 2003, after a 12% turnout led to the election of the conservative candidates of Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran in Tehran. During his mayorship, he reversed many of the changes put into effect by previous moderate and reformist mayors, putting serious religious emphasis on the activites of the cultural centers founded by previous mayors, going on the record with the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices [6] and suggesting that the bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war be buried in major city squares of Tehran.
As the Mayor of Tehran, Ahmadinejad also became the manager in charge of the daily newspaper Hamshahri, dismissing Mohammad Atrianfar as the editor and replacing him with Alireza Sheikh-Attar. Ahmadinejad subsequently fired Sheikh-Attar on June 13, 2005, a few days before the presidential elections, for not supporting him for the post, replacing Sheikh-Attar with Ali Asghar Ash'ari, a previous Vice Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance during the ministership of Mostafa Mirsalim. He fired Nafiseh Kouhnavard, one of Hamshahri's journalists, for asking Khatami about the "red lines" of the regime and illegal parallel intelligence agencies, a question Ahmadinejad didn't consider appropriate. Kouhnavard was later accused of spying for Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan. [7]
Ahmadinejad is known to have quarreled with Khatami, who then barred him from attending meetings of the Board of Ministers, a privilege usually extended to mayors of Tehran. He has publicly criticized Khatami for ignorance of the daily problems of the general public.
After two years as Tehran mayor, Ahmadinejad was shortlisted in a list of sixty-five finalists for World Mayor 2005 [8] out of the 550 nominated mayors. Only nine mayors were from Asia.
Ahmadinejad resigned from his post as the mayor of Tehran after his election to the presidency. His resignation was accepted on June 28 2005 and in September 2005, the Tehran City Council elected Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with 8 out of 15 votes as the 12th Mayor of Tehran.
Presidency
Ahmadinejad became the president of Iran on August 3, 2005, receiving the approval of Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, during which celebration he kissed the hand of Khamenei, the first Iranian president who has kissed Khamenei's hand and the second Iranian president to kiss a supreme leader's hand (the first was Mohammad Ali Rajai, who kissed the Ayatollah Khomeini's hand) [9].
In the first announcement after his presidency, Ahmadinejad asked the public servants not to post his photographs and pictures in governmental offices and use the pictures and photos of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei only.
Ahmadinejad completed the requisite ceremonies of becoming president on August 6, when he took vow before the Majlis to protect Iran's official religion (Shia Islam), the Islamic Republic regime, constitution. From August 3 to August 6, Mohammad Reza Aref, Khatami's First Vice President, was Acting President.
Ahmadinejad's Ministers
Ahmadinejad was required to introduce his suggested ministers to Majlis for a vote of approval in fifteen days, after which Majlis would have one week to decide about the ministers. It was mentioned by Masoud Zaribafan, Ahmadinejad's campaign manager, that Ahmadinejad will probably introduce his cabinet on the same day of his vow, which did not happen, but the list was finally sent to the Majlis on August 14. The Majlis will need to vote on the suggested ministers by August 21.
The parliament had held a private meeting on August 5, when Ahmadinejad presented a shortlist of three or four candidates for each ministry, to know the opinion of Majlis about his candidates. A news website close to Ahmadinejad published a partial list of Ahmadinejad's decisions based on the feedback, which was updated and changed a few times [10]. The final list was officially sent to the Majlis on August 14, 2005.
After a few days of heavy discussions in Majlis, which started on August 21, 2005, Ahmadinejad's cabinet was voted on on August 24, 2005, and became the first cabinet since the Iranian revolution in not winning a complete vote of approval. Four candidates, for the ministries of Cooperatives, Education, Petroleum, and Welfare and Social Security, all previous colleagues of Ahmadinejad in the Municipality of Tehran, were voted down. The other candidates became ministers.
The list of suggested ministers and their votes went [11]:
| Ministry | Candidate minister | Approvals | Denials | Abstentions |
| Agricultural | Mohammad Reza Eskandari (Persian bio) | 214 | 45 | 24 |
| Commerce | Masoud Mirkazemi | 169 | 85 | 25 |
| Communication and Information Technology | Mohammad Soleimani | 220 | 43 | 16 |
| Cooperatives | Alireza Ali-Ahmadi | 105 | 134 | 34 |
| Culture and Islamic Guidance | Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi | 181 | 78 | 20 |
| Defense and Logistics | Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar | 205 | 55 | 17 |
| Economy and Financial Affairs | Davoud Danesh-Jafari (Persian bio) | 216 | 47 | 19 |
| Education | Ali Akbar Ash'ari (Persian bio) | 73 | 175 | 31 |
| Energy | Parviz Fattah (Persian bio) | 194 | 56 | 23 |
| Foreign Affairs | Manouchehr Mottaki (Persian bio) | 220 | 47 | 16 |
| Health and Medical Education | Kamran Bagheri Lankarani (Persian bio) | 169 | 86 | 27 |
| Housing and Urban Development | Mohammad Saeedikia | 222 | 31 | 25 |
| Industries and Mines | Alireza Tahmasbi | 182 | 58 | 30 |
| Intelligence | Gholamhossein Mohseni Ezhei (Persian bio) | 217 | 51 | 13 |
| Interior | Mostafa Pourmohammadi (Persian bio) | 153 | 90 | 31 |
| Justice | Jamal Karimi-Rad (Persian bio) | 191 | 59 | 24 |
| Labour and Social Affairs | Mohammad Jahromi | 197 | 59 | 20 |
| Petroleum | Ali Saeedlou | 101 | 133 | 38 |
| Roads and Transportation | Mohammad Rahmati (Persian bio) | 214 | 43 | 21 |
| Science, Research, and Technology | Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (Persian bio) | 144 | 101 | 35 |
| Welfare and Social Security | Mehdi Hashemi | 131 | 108 | 36 |
The new board of ministers held its first meeting on August 25 in Mashhad, promising to keep frequent meetings to cities other than the capital, Tehran. Temporary supervisors for two of the four ministries without new ministers were appointed by Ahmadinejad on August 27, Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Davoud Madadi for the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.
Reza Love Fund
Ahmadinejad's first piece of legislation to emerge from his newly-formed government was a 12 trillion rial (1.3 billion American Dollars) "Reza Love Fund" -- which was named after one of Shiite Islam's Imams. By tapping into Iran's huge oil revenues, Ahmadinejad's government plans to use this fund in order to help young people get a job, get married, and get a home. The fund also seeked charitable donations, and includes boards of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The new plan is subject to the approval of the conservative-held parliament, but is seen as unlikely to encounter strong opposition given deputies in the Majlis have also shown an eagerness to focus on resolving economic problems. This piece of legislation was in retaliation to the costly housing in urban centres which is pushing up the national average marital age, which currently is around 25 for women and 28 for men. This was the first example of Ahmadinejad's compliance with his promise of "bringing oil money to the Iranian people's plates".
UN Speech
Allegations
On June 29, 2005, shortly after Ahmadinejad won the presidential election, several major western news outlets have publicized various allegations against him. These include charges that he participated heavily in the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis, assassinations of Kurdish politicians in Austria, and executions of political prisoners in the Evin prison in Tehran. Ahmadinejad and his political supporters have denied these allegations. Additionally, a number of Ahmadinejad's political opponents in Iran have specifically denied allegations of his participation in the Iran Hostage Crisis. In July of 2005, US President George W Bush declared that these charges were serious and must be investigated; as of the end of July, the US government continues investigating the charges (Reuters). The Iranian government stated that the allegations circulating against Ahmadinejad in the Western media are merely part of a smear campaign orchestrated by the United States and what Iranian officials have referred to as "Zionist media," directed against Ahmadinejad in specific and Iran in general. As of July of 2005, no independent commission has surfaced to investigate these charges and pronounce its findings.
From before the second round of the election, in late July 2005, there have also been allegations of politicial corruption from Ahmadinejad's political opponents in Iran, especially from the reformists.
Criticism of his views
Many reformist and independent political parties, including some of those who boycotted the first round of the presidential election, have called for an alliance against Ahmadinejad, calling it "a national alliance against fascism". For example, IIPF has asked for people voting in the second round to "prevent the danger of a rise of religious fascism" and the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. [12] Critics, including some independent ones, have mentioned that while there are some similiarities between the actions and rising of supporters of Ahmadinejad with those of fascism, there are important differences. Firstly, the movement is not nationalistic or racist. Secondly, it lacks corporatism.
Another point of criticism is that it uses general or inaccurate words to describe an opponent. Many critics of his viewpoint call his platform "fictional socialism."
External links
Election and Profile
- "Iran elects new hardline leader" (BBC)
- "Victor wants 'modern Islamic' Iran" (CNN)
- "Ahmadinejad elected president of Iran" (Al-Jazeera)
- Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, BBC's profile on Ahmadinejad
- Iran elections candidates: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
- Ahamdinejad's biography (in Persian)
- Ahmadinejad's campaign website (in Persian)
- This photo is not Ahmadinejad, Shargh's report on Ahmadinejad's background as a student active in politicts and that he was not involved in the US hostage crisis (in Persian)
- "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Face"
- "Market Fundamentalists Lose in Iran (For Now)"
- "Iran's Leader Calls for Destruction of Israel"
- Quotes From WikiQuote
Criticism and Allegations
- US prepares new provocations against Iran
- Karroubi's letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, alleging Ahmadinejad supporters of organized illegal activities (in Persian)
- Articles related to Ahmadinejad's involvement in the 1979 Hostage Crisis, by date (Google)
- The Mayor Who Does Not Like Criticism (in Persian), an article by Rooz on Ahmadinejad
- Ex-Hostages Say Ahmadinejad a Captor
- Iran victor 'kidnap role' probe (BBC)