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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Template:Fa
6th President of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 3, 2005
Vice PresidentParviz Davoodi
LeaderAli Khamenei
Preceded byMohammad Khatami
Personal details
Born (1956-10-28) October 28, 1956 (age 68)
Aradan, Iran
Political partyIslamic Society of Engineers

Audio file "MahmoudAhmadinejad.ogg" not found, (born October 28, 1956) is the 6th and current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on 6 August 2005 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Ahmadinejad's current term will end in August, 2009, but he will be eligible to run for one more term in office in 2009 presidential elections. Before becoming president, he was the Mayor of Tehran. He is the highest directly elected official in the country, but, according to article 113 of Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, he has less total power than the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the commander in chief of the armed forces of Iran and has the final word in all aspects of foreign and domestic policies

Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and supports strengthened relations between Iran and Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria and Persian Gulf states. He has refused to stop the nuclear program of Iran, regardless of the demands of the UN Security Council, declaring that the Iranian nuclear enrichment program is for peaceful purposes only. He has been condemned internationally for "calling for Israel to be 'wiped off the map,'" and describing the Holocaust as a "myth", leading to accusations of antisemitism. In response to these criticisms, Ahmadinejad said “No, I am not anti-Jew, I respect them very much.”

During his presidency, Mahmoud Ahmadienjad launched a Gas rationing plan to reduce the country's fuel consumption, dissolved the Management and Planning Organisation of Iran and cut the interest rate for private and public banking facilities.

Personal life and education

Ahmadinejad, the son of a blacksmith, was born in Garmsar, near Tehran on October 28, 1956. In 1976, he took Iran's national university entrance exams (konkoor) to gain admission into Iran's top universities. His test score ranked him 132nd among over 400,000 participants that year, landing him at the prestigious Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering.

After the Iranian Revolution, he entered the Master of Science program for civil engineering in 1984. In 1989, he became a member of the Science faculty at the university where he had studied. In 1997, he received his Ph.D. in transportation engineering and planning from the Science and Technology University. Even after being elected President, Ahmadinejad continued living in a simple apartment flat and eating meals brought from home, in his office. Both of these traits contributed to his widespread support amongst the poorer classes of Iran.

Ahmadinejad is married with two sons and one daughter. One of his sons formerly studied at the Amirkabir University of Technology.

Timeline

Place Position or Primary Activity Year(s)
Garmsar - 1956
Tehran university examinee 1975
Basij paramilitary member in engineering division c.1980-1984
Iran University of Science and Technology graduate student c.1986-1989
Maku Governor c. early 1990s
Khoy Governor c. early 1990s
Kurdistan Province Advisor to Governor General c. early 1990s
Tehran Advisor to Minister of Culture 1993
Ardabil Province Governor General 1993-1997
Tehran Active professor 1997-2003
Tehran Mayor 2003-2005
Iran President 2005-
Iran University of Science and Technology Member of science & engineering board 1989-

Early political career

See also: Controversies surrounding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Ahmadinejad was politically active as a student during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, and represented the University of Science and Technology in the Students Movement at the Central Committee for the “Office of Growth of Unity of the Students” where the plan for the embassy takeover was presented. Reportedly, he first opposed the take-over . or supported a larger plan that included the simultaneous take-over of the Soviet Union embassy until the Ayatollah Khomeni gave his approval of the US embassy take-over. Several former hostages and the former President of Iran have identified Ahmadinejad as one of the key individuals holding Americans inside the embassy. In a secret report specifically investigating this issue, the CIA declared this identification "Not proven".

Ahmadinejad served as Governor General of Ardabil Province from 1993 to 1997 but was not a nationally known figure when 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 religious emphasis on the activities 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, and suggesting that the bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. Such actions were coupled with an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.

After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was shortlisted in a list of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005. Out of the 550 nominated mayors, nine were from Asia.

He was not much better known when he entered the presidential election campaign, although he had already made his mark for rolling back earlier reforms. After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad resigned from his post as the mayor of Tehran. His resignation was accepted on June 28, 2005.

He is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but his key support is inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran).

Presidency

Presidential campaign

Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, which some US-based analysts considered 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." (Template:Fa).

In his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad took a populist approach, with emphasis on his own modest life, and compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, the second president of Iran. Ahmadinejad said he had plans to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He is a self-described "principlist"; that is, acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals has been "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", referring to Iran's oil profits being distributed among the poor.

Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. In an interview with 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 stated, "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." 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.

After his election he proclaimed, "Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world." He said, that "the wave of the Islamic revolution" would soon "reach the entire world."

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." 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." Since his election to the presidency he has taken a tough stand on a number of foreign policy matters, in line with his hard-line background.

As confirmed by Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom, is President Ahmadinejad's ideological mentor and spiritual guide. Mesbah is the founder of Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's campaign during presidential election in 2005.

Election

Main article: Iranian presidential election, 2005

Ahmadinejad became the 6th President of Iran on August 6, 2005, after winning 62% of the vote in the run-off poll, nearly twice that of ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He received the presidential authorization from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on August 3, 2005. During the authorization ceremony he kissed Khamenei's hand in demonstration of his loyalty to him. Journalist Amir Taheri claims that Khamenei's eldest son Mujtaba acted as Ahmadinejad's campaign manager during the election.

Cabinet

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 would 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 were set 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. 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 for 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, with the other candidates becoming ministers.

The list of suggested ministers and their votes went:

Ministry Candidate minister Approvals Denials Abstentions
Agricultural Mohammad Reza Eskandari (Persian bio) 214 45 24
Commerce Seyyed 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 Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei (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
Petroleum Mohsen Tasalloti 77 139 38
Petroleum Kazem Vaziri Hamane 172 53 34
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.

Domestic policy

Economy

See also: Economy of Iran

Ahmadinejad submitted his first annual budget, covering April 2006–March 2007, to Iran’s parliament on January 15, 2006. The draft budget called for 1,956 trillion Rials (US$217.4 billion) in total spending, 27% more than in the fiscal 2005–06 budget. The oil-revenue projections, a significant portion of fiscal revenues, were based on a US$39.70/barrel price forecast for oil exports. The plan called on state-owned banks to allocate a larger portion of their resources to consumer loans for low-income families and small enterprises in underdeveloped regions. It also called for a visible increase in housing subsidies for low-income families, accounting for roughly US$1 billion in construction costs for those who are worse off.

Ahmadinejad is said to have devoted approximately 35 billion Rials (roughly US$3.5 million) to an NGO associated with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, an increase of almost tenfold.

In June 2006, 50 Iranian economists wrote a letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, criticizing price interventions to stabilize prices of goods, cement, and government services, as well as a decree issued by the High Labor Council and the Ministry of Labor proposing an increase of workers' salaries by 40%. Ahmadinejad publicly responded harshly to the letter and denounced the accusations.

On January 25, 2007, The president called high petrol consumption as the main problem facing national economy.

“So far, this year (started March 21, 2006) the Oil Ministry has spent billions of dollars for importing petrol”, he noted. The government is trying to control the high petrol consumption, but it has no plan to sell the petrol at the market price, he stated. He also refused a gradual increase of petrol prices, saying after making necessary preparations such as a development of public transportation system the government will free up petrol prices after five years.

In July 2007, the Management and Planning Organisation of Iran was dissolved after a direct order of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The organization was a 60 years old, scientific planning body that had a supervisory role in addition to its responsibility to allocate the national budget. Although the MPO was a state body whose head was appointed by the president, it was relatively independent organisation. President Ahmadinejad, however, established a new budget planning body directly under his control, a move that may give him a freer hand to implement populist policies blamed for driving up prices. Economist Fariborz Raiis-Dana said that the decision dealt the coup de grace to the structure of the national management organization. Iranian MP Esmaeil Gramimoqaddam said that the president's directive is illegal and the parliament opposes his decision. "The president is not authorized to order an alteration or merger of an organization. This is the parliament's job," he added.

Family planning and population policy

See also: Family planning in Iran

In October 2006, President Ahmadinejad opposed encouraging families to limit themselves to just two children, stating that Iran could cope with 50 million more people than the current 70 million. In remarks that have drawn criticism, he told MPs he wanted to scrap existing birth control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children. Critics reacted with alarm and said the president’s call was ill-judged at a time when Iran was struggling with surging inflation and rising unemployment, estimated at around 11%. Mr Ahmadinejad’s call for an increased birth rate is reminiscent of a demand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini 1979. The policy was effective in increasing population growth, but was eventually reversed in response to the resultant economic strain.

Housing

The first legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion Rial (US$1.3 billion) fund called "Reza's Compassion Fund" which was named after one of Shi'a Islam's Imams, Ali al-Rida. By tapping into Iran's oil revenues, Ahmadinejad's government says that this fund will be used to help young people to get jobs and to afford marriage, as well to assist in purchasing their own homes. The fund also sought charitable donations, and includes a boards of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The new plan is subject to the approval of the conservative-held Majlis, but is seen as unlikely to encounter strong opposition, given that deputies in the Majles have also shown an eagerness to focus on resolving economic problems. The legislation was in response to the costly housing in urban centres which is pushing up the national average marital age (currently around 25 years for women and 28 years for men). In 2006 the Iranian parliament rejected the fund. However, Ahmadinejad allegedly put his proposal into practice by ordering the administrative council to execute the plan.

Women's rights and hijab

On 24 April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that a ruling which prevented women from watching men playing sports in stadiums would soon be reversed. A state television announcer reported that Ahmadinejad "ordered the head of the sports organization to provide facilities in the stadiums to watch national matches." Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying: "The best stands should be allocated to women and families in the stadiums in which national and important matches are being held." Two days earlier, Ahmadinejad had objected to punishment of women appearing in stadiums without proper hijab. His remarks angered some supporters. Soon after his remarks, several of the highest-ranking clerics and marjas including, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi and Grand Ayatollahs Nouri Hamedani, Safi Golpaygani, Makarem Shirazi, Fazel Lankarani and Tabrizi announced their objection to his decision, urgently calling for cancellation of the order. In Qom, many clerics demonstrated against the president's letter. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reversed the decision, and at least 60,000 mullahs in sharia courts, ranging from grassroots levels to the national level, expressed concerns. A Shi'ite news agency quoted one of Ahmadinejad's advisors saying that the President's statement about the attendance of women in stadium was a political measure to defend the government against a US-led conspiracy. According to these reports, Ahmadinejad's government believed that the attendance of women in stadiums was against Sharia and therefore had to be banned, contrary to the earlier letter.

Some conservatives in Iran have been angered by a perceived deterioration in obedience to the republic's female Islamic dress code. Conservative MP Rafat Bayat has blamed Ahmadinejad for this, saying that observance of the required hijab has declined because Ahmadinejad is "not that strict on this issue". Ahmadinejad has been also accused of indecency by people close to Rafsanjani, after he publicly kissed the hand of a woman who used to be his school teacher.

In April 2007, the Tehran police which is under supervision of Khamenei, began a crackdown on women with "improper hijab". This resulted in harsh criticism from associates of President Ahmadinejad, who have noted the injudiciousness of this action and the negative impact the issue will have on the youth. It was further reported that the idea was proposed by Combatant Clergy Association, in which Akbar Rafsanjani -the main opponent of President Ahmadinejad- is a leading member. President Ahmadinejad has summoned the head of the police and has asked him to clarify the reasons for the act.

Universities

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad government reportedly forced numerous Iranian scientists and University professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as "second cultural revolution" after the Islamic Cultural Revolution earlier. The policy has been said to replace old professors with younger ones. Some university professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly. In November 2006, 53 university professors had to retire from Iran University of Science and Technology.

In 2006, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government applied a 50% quota for male students and 50% for female students in the University entrance exam for Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. The plan was supposed to stop the growing presence of female students in the Universities. In a response to critics, Iranian minister of health and medical education, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani argued that there are not enough facilities such as dormitories for female students. Masoud Salehi, president of Zahedan University said that presence of women generates some problems with transportation. Also Ebrahim Mekaniki, president of Babol University of Medical Sciences stated that an increase in the presence of women will make it difficult to distribute facilities in a suitable manner. Bagher Larijani, the president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences made similar remarks. According to Rooz Online, the quotas lack a legal foundation and are justified as support for "family" and "religion."

Nuclear program

See also: Nuclear program of Iran

Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's civilian nuclear program. On January 11, 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran would have peaceful nuclear technology very soon. He also emphasized that building a nuclear bomb is not the policy of his government. He has said that there was no such policy and that such a policy was "illegal and against our religion."

He also added at a January 2006 conference in Tehran that a nation that had "culture, logic and civilisation" would not need nuclear weapons, but that countries which sought nuclear weapons were those which wanted to solve all problems by the use of force.

In April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully refined uranium to a stage suitable for the nuclear fuel cycle. In a speech to students and academics in Mashad, he was quoted saying that Iran's conditions had changed completely as it became a nuclear state and could talk to other states from that stand.

On April 13, 2006, Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the peaceful Iranian nuclear technology would not pose a threat to any party because "we want peace and stability and we will not cause injustice to anyone and at the same time we will not submit to injustice."

However, the office of the Iranian President is not responsible for nuclear policy. It is instead set by the Supreme National Security Council. The council includes two representatives appointed by the Supreme Leader, military officials and members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government (see eg. Ali Larijani), and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.

On November 15, 2006 the Iranian President announced that "Today the Iranian nation possesses the full nuclear fuel cycle."

Domestic criticism of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Some critics have alleged that President Ahmadinejad is becoming increasingly unpopular at home for spending too much time criticizing the United States and not enough time reforming the nation's stagnant economy.

At one point in 2006, the prices for vegetables was tripled and housing prices doubled — and as costs have gone up, so has some Iranians' discontent with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his focus on confrontation with the West. He is being challenged not only by reformers but by some conservatives who paved the way for his stunning victory in 2005 presidential elections. Ahmadinejad‘s government "has been strong on populist slogans but weak on achievement," said Mohammad Khoshchehreh, who campaigned for Ahmadinejad during the election.

It is claimed that Iran's increasing economic and diplomatic isolation, have pushed conservatives inside Iran to distance themselves from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More than 50 parliamentary members signed a letter in January 2007, calling on Ahmadinejad to appear before parliament to explain himself. Some sources say that Ahmadinejad may be vulnerable as Khamenei is said to have voiced his displeasure with him and due to the fact that the latter has the authority to dismiss the president. Khamenei himself usually refrains from speaking in public but in what some claimed was his privately owned newspaper, he supposedly criticized the president's "personalization" of the nuclear issue. However, sources close to the President have said the article comes from Rafsanjani. Ahmadinejad’s team lost the 2006 City council elections and his spiritual mentor, Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi was ranked sixth on the country's Assembly of Experts. Later, a source denied any rift between the nation's top politician and Ahmadinejad.

While the campaign to summon Ahmadinejad to appear in the Majlis is gathering momentum, some Majlis deputies have threatened to impeach the ministers of interior and education. According to reports published by various news agencies, the bills to impeach Mostafa Pourmohammadi (Minister of the Interior) and Mahmoud Farshidi (Minister of Education) will be introduced in Majlis on 24 Jan 2006.

In January 2007, Hossein Ali Montazeri harshly criticized Ahmadinejad and accused him of harming the country. Montazeri, 85, is a senior theologian of the Shia Muslim faith. Also Mohammad Moussavian, a former nuclear negotiator who is currently in prison for espionage, has accused Ahmadinejad of lying to the people about the grave consequences of the penalties voted for by the Security Council. "Our advice to the president is to speak about the nuclear issue only during important national occasions, stop provoking aggressive powers like the United States and concentrate more on the daily needs of the people, those who voted for you on your promises," wrote the Islamic Republic.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is a capitalist, has invoked the supreme leader, suggesting the leader was pained by the very slow pace of privatisation under Mr Ahmadinejad's government.

In 2005 Khamenei responded to President Ahmadinejad's alleged remark that Israel should be "wiped off the map" by saying that "the Islamic Republic has never threatened and will never threaten any country." Moreover Khamenei`s main advisor in foreign policy, Ali Akbar Velayati, refused to take part in Holocaust conference. In contrast to Ahmadinejad`s remarks, Velayati said that Holocaust was a genocide and a historical reality.

In June 2007, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was criticized by some Iranian parliament members over his remark about Christianity and Judaism. According to Aftab News Agency, President Ahmadinejad stated: "In the world, there are deviations from the right path: Christianity and Judaism. Dollars have been devoted to the propagation of these deviations. There are also false claims that these will save mankind. But Islam is the only religion that save mankind." Some members of Iranian parliament criticized these remarks as being fuels to religious war.

December 2006 Student protest

On December 11, 2006, some students disrupted a speech by Ahmadinejad at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. According to the Iranian Student News Agency, students set fire to photographs of Ahmadinejad and threw firecrackers. The protesters also chanted "death to the dictator". It was the first major public protest against Ahmadinejad since his election. In a statement carried on the students' Web site, they announced that they had been protesting the growing political pressure under Ahmadinejad, also accusing him of corruption, mismanagement, and discrimination. "The students showed that despite vast propaganda, the president has not been able to deceive academia", the statement added. It was also reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust.

In response to the students slogans, the president said: "We have been standing up to dictatorship so that no one will dare to establish dictatorship in a millennium even in the name of freedom. Given the scars inflicted on the Iranian nation by agents of the US and British dictatorship, no one will ever dare to initiate the rise of a dictator". It was reported that even though the protesters broke the TV cameras, and threw hand-made bombs at Ahmadinejad, the president asked the officials not to question or disturb the protesters. In his blog, Ahmadinejad described his reaction to the incident as "a feeling of joy" because of the freedom that people enjoyed after the revolution.

1,000 students also protested the day before to denounce the increasing pressure on the reformist groups at the university, newspapers reported. In the week prior, more than 2,000 students protested at Tehran University on the country's annual student day, with speakers saying there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.

An organization numbering 12,000 students led by student leader Abbas Fakhr-Avar, living in exile in the United States, opposes Ahmadinejad and hopes to topple his government.

2006 Councils and Assembly of Experts election

Main article: Iranian councils election, 2006 Main article: Iranian Assembly of Experts election, 2006

In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, allies of the Iranian President failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Turnout of about 60 percent was reported, with the results suggesting a voter shift toward more moderate policies. "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support . . . moderate figures", the independent daily newspaper Kargozaran said in an editorial. "This is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah-Yazdi's list", an Iranian political analyst was quoted as saying.

Parliamentary Opposition and vetoes by the Supreme Leader

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has had a number of struggles first of all on winning the Presidential election to get his nominations for official positions through parliament and to pass his legislation.

He was vetoed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei when he attempted to change the law to permit women to attend sporting events, and has been considered by some to be "not strict" on the issue of enforcement of Islamic dress codes.

His criticism of the West has been controversial among some members of Iranian Parliament, leading to attempts to compel him to go to the parliament to answer some questions, although impeachment is unlikely.

Foreign policy

Iran-United States relations

Main article: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to George W. Bush See also: United States-Iran relationsSee also: Controversies surrounding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

On May 8, 2006, Ahmadinejad sent a personal letter to [[Preside

  1. IPA: [mæhˈmud æhmædineˈʒɒd]. His name transliterates into Persian as Template:Fa Maḥmūd Aḥmadīnezhād, and can be transcribed into English as Mahmud or Mahmood, Ahmadinezhad, Ahmadi-Nejad, Ahmadi Nejad, or Ahmady Nejad.
  2. http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/index/Iran2006.html
  3. SalamIran - IRI's Constitution - see Article 113.
  4. Chomsky, Noam (March 9, 2007). "A Predator Becomes More Dangerous When Wounded". Comment Is Free. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-03-28. It is also necessary to demonise the leadership. In the west, any wild statement by President Ahmadinejad is circulated in headlines, dubiously translated. But Ahmadinejad has no control over foreign policy, which is in the hands of his superior, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US media tend to ignore Khamenei's statements, especially if they are conciliatory. It's widely reported when Ahmadinejad says Israel shouldn't exist - but there is silence when Khamenei says that Iran supports the Arab League position on Israel-Palestine, calling for normalisation of relations with Israel if it accepts the international consensus of a two-state settlement. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. Dehghanpisheh, Babak (2001), "Bear Hugs", World Press Review, vol. 48, no. 6, retrieved 2007-05-03
  6. "Oiling the axis - Iran and Venezuela develop closer ties", Jane's Information Group, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-29
  7. "Broader ties among Persian Gulf states in region's interest - Ahmadinejad", IRNA, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-29
  8. "Iran president 'ready for talks'", BBC News, February 12, 2007.
  9. ^
  10. "When Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks out candidly — as is his habit — he scares a lot of people. He has said more than once that Israel should be wiped off the map, and that the Holocaust is an overblown fairytale.…‘Israel, you have said time and again, Israel must be wiped off the map. Please explain why. And what is Iran doing about that?’ Wallace asked.…Then Wallace tried to get the president back to his most inflammatory statement regarding Israel. ‘You are very good at filibustering,’ Wallace remarked. ‘You still have not answered the question. You still have not answered the question. Israel must be wiped off the map. Why?’
    ‘Well, don't be hasty sir,’ the president said. ‘I'm going to get to that. I think that the Israeli government is a fabricated government.’" "Iranian Leader Opens Up:Ahmadinejad Speaks Candidly With Mike Wallace About Israel, Nukes, Bush", 60 Minutes, CBS News, August 13, 2006. Accessed 2006-10-18
    • "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has again caused international outcry by repeating his view that the Holocaust was a myth. In a speech broadcast live on state television on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad told a crowd in the southern city of Zahedan: 'They have fabricated a legend under the name Massacre of the Jews, and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves. If somebody in their country questions God, nobody says anything, but if somebody denies the myth of the massacre of Jews, the Zionist loudspeakers and the governments in the pay of Zionism will start to scream." "Ahmadinejad: Holocaust a myth", Al Jazeera, December 15, 2005.
    • "'They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets,' Ahmadinejad said in a speech to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan, according to a report on Wednesday from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. 'The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets,' he said. '(It) deals very severely with those who deny this myth but does not do anything to those who deny God, religion, and the prophet.'". "Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth'", CNN, December 14, 2005.
  11. "Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'". BBC. September 21, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-08. 'Some people think if they accuse me of being anti-Jew they can solve the problem. No, I am not anti-Jew,' he said. 'I respect them very much.' {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. "Iran interest rate cut sparks panic selling", Guardian Unlimited, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-29
  13. "سازمان مدیریت و برنامه ریزی منحل شد", BBC Persian Service, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-29
  14. "Iran's president launches weblog". BBC. August 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. http://www.president.ir/eng/ahmadinejad/bio/
  16. http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/people_full_story.asp?service_id=8893
  17. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961353570&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
  18. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/12/11/164728.shtml
  19. “Details of the plan for the takeover of American Embassy in Tehran were revealed for the first time. The names of the “nucleus” students who are the followers of Imam’s Line”, 14 Feb 1999, Aria, as reported and translated on Making Sense of Jihad
  20. MSNBC, July 2, 2005, "Ex-agent: Iranian leader wasn’t a hostage-taker".
  21. Secor, Laura (28 January 2007). "Whose Iran?". New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  22. Al Jazeera Biography of Ahmadinejad says "Ahmadinejad attended planning meetings for the US Embassy takeover and at these meetings lobbied for a simultaneous takeover of the Soviet Embassy."
  23. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200510/iran-president-ahmadinejad
  24. MSNBC, July 2, 2005, "Ex-agent: Iranian leader wasn’t a hostage-taker".
  25. Ex-Hostages Demand CIA Release Its Report on Iranian President
  26. Council on Foreign Relations - Takeyh: Iranian-U.S. Relations at New Low Point (interview).
  27. "Ahamd Bozorgian (MP): "The Separation of men and women's elevators is an advantageous policy. It would help to grow."" (in Template:Fa icon). Entekhab News. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  28. vom Hove, Tann (2005). "More than 87,000 took part in the World Mayor 2005 project". World Mayor Award. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  29. The 2005 World Mayor finalists
  30. Aneja, Atul (2006). New dynamics. Frontline. http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2326/stories/20070112001105500.htm Accessed July 28, 2007.
  31. ""Hard Line Figure in Iran Runoff"".
  32. ""Iran and the art of crisis management"".
  33. Brea, Jennifer. "Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran". About.com. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  34. Navai, Ramita (30 June 2005). "President invokes new Islamic wave". The Times (UK) Online. Retrieved 2006-05-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. "Profile of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Friend or foe?".
  36. "Iran Symposium: 'Divide and empower'".
  37. "Iran hardliner hails poll victory". BBC. June 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. "Iran hardliner becomes president". BBC. August 3, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. "Behind Ahmadinejad, a Powerful Cleric". New York Times. September 9, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. http://tofoiran.packdeal.com/clips/DrIman/20060906-DrIman-CNN-225.asx
  41. "Winners and Losers Turn the Fate of Iran". Gulf News. June 29, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. "Ahmadinejad's cabinet declared" (in Template:Fa icon). Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran. Retrieved 2006-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  43. Habibi, Nader (2006). "Iran's 2006–07 Budget Puts More Emphasis on Economic Justice". Perspectives. GLOBAL INSIGHT. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  44. "3.5 billion toman (about 3.7 million us dolor) assign to the Ayatollah Mesbah Yadi's institute in the yearly budget" (in Template:Fa icon). Entekhab News. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  45. Daily Star - Iranian economists lash out at Ahmadinejad's policies.
  46. USA TODAY - Geopolitics casts pall on hobbled Iranian economy.
  47. Times, Tehran (January 25, 2007). "Iran trying to prevent another UN resolution: president". Tehran Times. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. Dr. Bakhtiar, Abbas (January 25, 2007). "Ahmadinejad's Achilles Heel". Payvand. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Tait, Robert (October 23, 2006). "Ahmadinejad urges Iranian baby boom to challenge west". Guardian Unlimited. The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-05-03. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called for a baby boom to almost double the country's population to 120 million and enable it to threaten the west. In remarks that have drawn criticism, he told MPs he wanted to scrap existing birth control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children. Women should work less and devote more time to their "main mission" of raising children, Mr Ahmadinejad said....Mr Ahmadinejad's call for a higher birth rate echoes a similar demand by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the triumph of Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ""Reza's Compassion Fund" project archived" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  51. "Reza's Compassion Fund; a political fund with 530 billion budget" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  52. "The problem of Women and the pressures of religious groups on Ahmadinejad" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  53. "Iran to keep stadium ban on women". Al Jazeera. May 20, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-16. Iran's supreme leader has vetoed a decision by the president to allow women into sports stadiums. A government official said on Monday that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opposed the move by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to allow women on to the stands - a suggestion which caused a furore in the clerical establishment. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. "The clerical councilor of the president explains about Ahmadinejad's order on women's attendance to the stadiums" (in Template:Fa icon). Baztab. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  55. Harrison, Frances (January 2, 2007). "Iran police move into fashion business". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-04-16. 'Observance of hijab has got worse since the new government because Mr Ahmadinejad is not that strict on this issue,' complains Mrs Bayat. 'Mr Ahmadinejad thinks we should not use force when acting on this issue so as a result hijab has become weaker' she says. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. http://www.ansarnews.com/?usr=news/detail&nid=993
  57. "Ahmadinejad's adviser criticizes hijab enforcement issue" (in Template:Fa icon). Baztab. Retrieved 2007-4-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  58. "مبارزه با بدحجابي، قرباني آرزوهاي سياسي مسئولان؟" (in Template:Fa icon). Baztab. Retrieved 2007-4-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  59. "Protest against the second cultural revolution" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  60. Irani, Hamed (June 23, 2006). "Cleansing in the Name of Retirement". Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  61. "Khoshchehreh (MP) protests against the unwanted retirement of university professors" (in Template:Fa icon). Aftab news. Retrieved 2006-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  62. "Different aspects of the unwanted retirement of university professors" (in Template:Fa icon). Aftab news. Retrieved 2006-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  63. "Ahamadinejad: "We will reach the nuclear energy in near future."" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  64. "Excerpts: Ahmadinejad conference". BBC News. January 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  65. "Ahmadinejad: Iran can now talk to world from vantage point of a nuclear state". Arabicnews.com. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  66. "Ahmadinejad: Iran nuke right non-negotiable". UPI. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |orgurl= ignored (help)
  67. Recknagel, Charles (June 27, 2005). "Iran: Election Of Ahmadinejad Unlikely To Affect Nuclear Negotiations". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  68. "Ahmadi Nejad: Iran Completes Nuclear Cycle". The Media Line. November 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  69. http://www.rajanews.com/News/?5625
  70. Top Iranian denies rift over atomic policy 31 Jan 2007 Reuters
  71. Edalat, Abbas (2007-04-05). "The US can learn from this example of mutual respect". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  72. ^ Theodoulou, Michael (December 12, 2006). "Protesters condemn Holocaust conference". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2007-05-06. A onference of the world's most prominent Holocaust deniers opened in Iran yesterday amid international condemnation and protests by dozens of Iranian students, who burned pictures of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chanted 'death to the dictator.' Never has the hardline leader, who was giving a speech at a university in Tehran yesterday, faced such open hostility at home. One student said the crowd was protesting against the 'shameful' Holocaust conference - which was organised after Mr Ahmadinejad described the murder of six million Jews by Nazis a 'myth' invented to justify the occupation of Palestinian land - and the 'fact that many activists with student movements have not been allowed to attend university.' {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  73. Ahmadinejad's English Blog - see post entitled Freedom and Liberty.
  74. Nazila Fathi (December 12, 2006). "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief". New York Times News Service. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  75. Iranian student leader: Ayatollahs will run if Iran attacked
  76. Edmund Blair (December 18, 2006). "Results in Iranian Vote Seen as Setback for Ahmadinejad". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  77. Iran women sports ruling vetoed BBC News, 8 May 2006
  78. Iran police move into fashion business BBC News, 02 January 2007
  79. Growing pressure on Ahmadinejad BBC News, 16 January 2007
  80. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/09_05_06ahmadinejadletter.pdf
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