Presidency
2005 Campaign
Ahmadinejad was not widely known when he entered the presidential election campaign, although he had already made his mark in Tehran for rolling back earlier reforms. He is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but his key political support is inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran or Developers).
Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, perhaps to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes. His campaign slogan was: "It's possible and we can do it".
In the campaign, he took a populist approach. He emphasized his own modest life, and compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, Iran's second president. Ahmadinejad said he planned to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He was a "principlist", acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals was "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", meaning Iran's oil profits would be distributed among the poor.
Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. He told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting the United Nations was "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He opposed the veto power of the UN Security Council's five permanent members: "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 defended Iran's nuclear program an
d accused "a few arrogant powers" of trying to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.
In his second round campaign, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government.…This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." He spoke of an extended program using trade to improve foreign relations, and 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 described Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom as his ideological and spiritual mentor. Mesbah founded the Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's 2005 presidential campaign.
2005 Election
Main article: Iranian presidential election, 2005
Ahmadinejad won 62 percent of the vote in the run-off poll against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei authorized his presidency on 3 August 2005. Ahmedinejad kissed Khamenei's hand during the ceremony to show his loyalty.
2005 Cabinet Appointments
Iran's President must obtain Iranian Parliament confirmation for his selection of ministers. Ahmadinejad presented a short-list at a private meeting on 5 August, and his final list on 14 August.
The Majlis rejected all of his cabinet candidates for the oil portfolio and objected to the appointment of his allies in senior government office. The Majlis approved a cabinet on 24 August. The ministers promised to meet frequently outside Tehran and held their first meeting on 25 August in Mashhad, with four empty seats for the unapproved nominees.
Ministry
Candidate minister
Agricultural
Mohammadreza Eskandari
Commerce
Masoud Mirkazemi
Communication and Information Technology
Mohammad Soleimani
Cooperatives
Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance
Mohammad Hossein Saffar-Harandi
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Economy and Financial Affairs
Hossein Samsami (pending approval from parliament)
Education
Alireza Aliahmadi
Energy
Parviz Fattah
Foreign Affairs
Manouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical Education
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
Housing and Urban Development
Mohammad Saeedikia
Industries and Mines
Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
Interior
Seyed Sadegh Mahsooli
Justice
Gholam Hossein Elham
Labour and Social Affairs
Mohammad Jahromi
Petroleum
Gholamhossein Nozari
Roads and Transportation
Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology
Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi
Welfare and Social Security
Abdolreza Mesri
2006 Councils and Assembly of Experts election
Main articles: Iranian councils election, 2006 and Iranian Assembly of Experts election, 2006
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. In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad became President, his allies failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Results, with a turnout of about 60%, suggested a voter shift toward more moderate policies. According to an editorial in the Kargozaran independent daily newspaper, "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support.. moderate figures." An Iranian political analyst said that "this is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah Yazdi's list."
2009 Presidential Election
Ahmadinejad in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 16 June 2009
Main article: Iranian presidential election, 2009
On 23 August 2008, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that he "sees Ahmadinejad as president in the next five years," a comment interpreted as indicating support for Ahmadinejad's reelection. 39,165,191 ballots were cast in the election on 12 June 2009, according to Iran's election headquarters. Ahmadinejad won 24,527,516 votes, (62.63%). In second place, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, won 13,216,411 (33.75%) of the votes. The election drew unprecedented public interest in Iran.
2009 Iranian Election Protests
Main article: 2009 Iranian election protests
As of September 2009[update], the election results remain in dispute with both Mousavi and Ahmadinejad and their respective supporters who believe that Electoral fraud occurred during the election. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad as President on 3 August 2009, and Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August 2009. Several Iranian political figures appeared to avoid the ceremony. Former presidents Mohammad Khatami, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is currently head of the Expediency Discernment Council, along with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, did not attend the ceremony. Opposition groups asked protesters on reformist websites and blogs to launc
h new street demonstrations on the day of the inauguration ceremony. On inauguration day, hundreds of riot police met opposition protesters outside parliament. After taking the oath of office, which was broadcast live on Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said that he will "protect the official faith, the system of the Islamic revolution and the constitution". France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that they would not send the usual letters of congratulation. While addressing the 11th scientific and research meeting of university professors on July 31, 2009, president Ahmadinejad concluded:
The June 12 presidential election ruined the dominance of wealth, political party system and media as tools of the hegemonic system and presented a new role model to the human race.
2009 Cabinet Appointments
Ahmadinejad announced controversial ministerial appointments for his second term. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was briefly appointed as first vice president, but opposed by a number of Majlis members and by the intelligence minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i. Mashaei followed orders to resign. Ahmadinejad then appointed Mashaei as chief of staff, and fired Mohseni-Eje'i.
On July 26 2009, Ahmadinejad's government faced a legal problem after he sacked four ministers. Iran's constitution (Article 136) stipulates that, if more than half of its members are replaced, the cabinet may not meet or act before the Majlis approves the revised membership. The Vice Chairman of the Majlis announced that no cabinet meetings or decisions would be legal, pending such a reapproval.
The main list of 21 cabinet appointments was announced on August 19, 2009. On September 4, Majlis approved 18 of the 21 candidates and rejected three of them, including two women. Sousan Keshavarz, Mohammad Aliabadi, and Fatemeh Ajorlou were not approved by Majlis for the Ministries of Education, Energy, and Welfare and Social Security respectively. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is the first woman approved by Majlis as a minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ministry
Minister
Agricultural
Sadeq Khalilian
Commerce
Mehdi Ghazanfari
Communication and Information Technology
Reza Taqipour
Cooperatives
Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance
Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
Ahmad Vahidi
Economy and Financial Affairs
Hossein Samsami
Education
Sousan Keshavarz (not confirmed)
Energy
Mohammad Aliabadi (not confirmed)
Foreign Affairs
Manouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical Education
Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi
Housing and Urban Development
Abdolreza Sheikholeslami
Industries and Mines
Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence
Heyder Moslehi
Interior
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Justice
Morteza Bakhtiari
Labour and Social Affairs
Ali Nikzad
Petroleum
Masoud Mir Kazemi
Roads and Transportation
Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology
Kamran Daneshjoo
Welfare and Social Security
Fatemeh Ajorlou (not confirmed)
2005 Campaign
Ahmadinejad was not widely known when he entered the presidential election campaign, although he had already made his mark in Tehran for rolling back earlier reforms. He is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but his key political support is inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran or Developers).
Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, perhaps to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes. His campaign slogan was: "It's possible and we can do it".
In the campaign, he took a populist approach. He emphasized his own modest life, and compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, Iran's second president. Ahmadinejad said he planned to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He was a "principlist", acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals was "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", meaning Iran's oil profits would be distributed among the poor.
Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. He told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting the United Nations was "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He opposed the veto power of the UN Security Council's five permanent members: "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 defended Iran's nuclear program an
d accused "a few arrogant powers" of trying to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.In his second round campaign, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government.…This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." He spoke of an extended program using trade to improve foreign relations, and 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 described Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom as his ideological and spiritual mentor. Mesbah founded the Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's 2005 presidential campaign.
2005 Election
Main article: Iranian presidential election, 2005
Ahmadinejad won 62 percent of the vote in the run-off poll against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei authorized his presidency on 3 August 2005. Ahmedinejad kissed Khamenei's hand during the ceremony to show his loyalty.
2005 Cabinet Appointments
Iran's President must obtain Iranian Parliament confirmation for his selection of ministers. Ahmadinejad presented a short-list at a private meeting on 5 August, and his final list on 14 August.
The Majlis rejected all of his cabinet candidates for the oil portfolio and objected to the appointment of his allies in senior government office. The Majlis approved a cabinet on 24 August. The ministers promised to meet frequently outside Tehran and held their first meeting on 25 August in Mashhad, with four empty seats for the unapproved nominees.
Ministry
Candidate minister
Agricultural
Mohammadreza Eskandari
Commerce
Masoud Mirkazemi
Communication and Information Technology
Mohammad Soleimani
Cooperatives
Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance
Mohammad Hossein Saffar-Harandi
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Economy and Financial Affairs
Hossein Samsami (pending approval from parliament)
Education
Alireza Aliahmadi
Energy
Parviz Fattah
Foreign Affairs
Manouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical Education
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
Housing and Urban Development
Mohammad Saeedikia
Industries and Mines
Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
Interior
Seyed Sadegh Mahsooli
Justice
Gholam Hossein Elham
Labour and Social Affairs
Mohammad Jahromi
Petroleum
Gholamhossein Nozari
Roads and Transportation
Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology
Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi
Welfare and Social Security
Abdolreza Mesri
2006 Councils and Assembly of Experts election
Main articles: Iranian councils election, 2006 and Iranian Assembly of Experts election, 2006
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. In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad became President, his allies failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Results, with a turnout of about 60%, suggested a voter shift toward more moderate policies. According to an editorial in the Kargozaran independent daily newspaper, "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support.. moderate figures." An Iranian political analyst said that "this is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah Yazdi's list."
2009 Presidential Election
Ahmadinejad in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 16 June 2009
Main article: Iranian presidential election, 2009
On 23 August 2008, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that he "sees Ahmadinejad as president in the next five years," a comment interpreted as indicating support for Ahmadinejad's reelection. 39,165,191 ballots were cast in the election on 12 June 2009, according to Iran's election headquarters. Ahmadinejad won 24,527,516 votes, (62.63%). In second place, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, won 13,216,411 (33.75%) of the votes. The election drew unprecedented public interest in Iran.
2009 Iranian Election Protests
Main article: 2009 Iranian election protests
As of September 2009[update], the election results remain in dispute with both Mousavi and Ahmadinejad and their respective supporters who believe that Electoral fraud occurred during the election. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad as President on 3 August 2009, and Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August 2009. Several Iranian political figures appeared to avoid the ceremony. Former presidents Mohammad Khatami, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is currently head of the Expediency Discernment Council, along with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, did not attend the ceremony. Opposition groups asked protesters on reformist websites and blogs to launc
h new street demonstrations on the day of the inauguration ceremony. On inauguration day, hundreds of riot police met opposition protesters outside parliament. After taking the oath of office, which was broadcast live on Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said that he will "protect the official faith, the system of the Islamic revolution and the constitution". France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that they would not send the usual letters of congratulation. While addressing the 11th scientific and research meeting of university professors on July 31, 2009, president Ahmadinejad concluded:The June 12 presidential election ruined the dominance of wealth, political party system and media as tools of the hegemonic system and presented a new role model to the human race.
2009 Cabinet Appointments
Ahmadinejad announced controversial ministerial appointments for his second term. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was briefly appointed as first vice president, but opposed by a number of Majlis members and by the intelligence minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i. Mashaei followed orders to resign. Ahmadinejad then appointed Mashaei as chief of staff, and fired Mohseni-Eje'i.
On July 26 2009, Ahmadinejad's government faced a legal problem after he sacked four ministers. Iran's constitution (Article 136) stipulates that, if more than half of its members are replaced, the cabinet may not meet or act before the Majlis approves the revised membership. The Vice Chairman of the Majlis announced that no cabinet meetings or decisions would be legal, pending such a reapproval.
The main list of 21 cabinet appointments was announced on August 19, 2009. On September 4, Majlis approved 18 of the 21 candidates and rejected three of them, including two women. Sousan Keshavarz, Mohammad Aliabadi, and Fatemeh Ajorlou were not approved by Majlis for the Ministries of Education, Energy, and Welfare and Social Security respectively. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is the first woman approved by Majlis as a minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ministry
Minister
Agricultural
Sadeq Khalilian
Commerce
Mehdi Ghazanfari
Communication and Information Technology
Reza Taqipour
Cooperatives
Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance
Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
Ahmad Vahidi
Economy and Financial Affairs
Hossein Samsami
Education
Sousan Keshavarz (not confirmed)
Energy
Mohammad Aliabadi (not confirmed)
Foreign Affairs
Manouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical Education
Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi
Housing and Urban Development
Abdolreza Sheikholeslami
Industries and Mines
Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence
Heyder Moslehi
Interior
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Justice
Morteza Bakhtiari
Labour and Social Affairs
Ali Nikzad
Petroleum
Masoud Mir Kazemi
Roads and Transportation
Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology
Kamran Daneshjoo
Welfare and Social Security
Fatemeh Ajorlou (not confirmed)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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