Iran's ninth presidential election took place in two rounds, the first on June 17, 2005, the
run-offThe two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under runoff voting, the voter simply casts a single vote for their favorite candidate...
on June 24.
Mohammad KhatamiSeyed Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar and politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005...
, the previous
President of IranThe President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties,...
, stepped down on August 2, 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the Islamic Republic's constitution. The election led to the victory of
Mahmoud AhmadinejadMahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country.An engineer and teacher from a poor background, Ahmadinejad joined the...
, the hardline mayor of
TehranTehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Tochal mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia...
, with 19.48% of the votes in the first round and 61.69% in the second. Ahmadinejad is believed to have won the second round because of his populist views, especially those regarding the poor and their economic status.
Iran's ninth presidential election took place in two rounds, the first on June 17, 2005, the
run-offThe two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under runoff voting, the voter simply casts a single vote for their favorite candidate...
on June 24.
Mohammad KhatamiSeyed Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar and politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005...
, the previous
President of IranThe President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties,...
, stepped down on August 2, 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the Islamic Republic's constitution. The election led to the victory of
Mahmoud AhmadinejadMahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country.An engineer and teacher from a poor background, Ahmadinejad joined the...
, the hardline mayor of
TehranTehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Tochal mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia...
, with 19.48% of the votes in the first round and 61.69% in the second. Ahmadinejad is believed to have won the second round because of his populist views, especially those regarding the poor and their economic status. Officials reported a turnout of about 48% of Iran's 47 million eligible voters, a decline from the 63% turnout reported in the first round of balloting a week before.A loyal supporter of conservative Supreme Leader Khamenei, Ahmadinejad kissed the leader's hand during his authorization ceremony.
Schedule
The schedule of the election had been decided between the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council for June 17, 2005. The election will continue as a runoff race, which will take place a week later than the first round of elections, on June 24, 2005. The registration of candidates began on May 10, 2005 and continued for five days, until May 14. If the Guardian Council had requested, it may have been extended for five more days, until May 19. The candidates were not allowed to do advertisements, until the final list of approved candidates are known. The official period for advertisement was May 27 to June 15.
In the first round, Iranian nationals born on or before June 17, 1990, residing in or outside Iran, were able to vote. The election in Iran began on 09:00 local time (04:30
UTCCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
) and while the original deadline was ten hours later on 19:00 (14:30 UTC), the deadline was extended three times by the Ministry of Interior, finally until 23:00 (18:30 UTC). Outside Iran, different times are used as the opening and closing hours for the polling offices. On the same date, mid-term Majlis elections for
GachsaranGachsaran or Dogonbadan is a city in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran.The population of this city, encompassing the suburbs, is about 150,000...
,
GarmsarGarmsar is a city in the Semnan province of Iran, located about 82km southeast of Tehran. It lies on the edge of Dasht-e Kavir, Iran's largest desert. Many people in the city commute to Tehran due to its proximity. Ghasre Bahram, The Stone Way, Stonvand Castle, the Sar Darre Mountains, and Kavir...
, Ghazvin,
IlamIlam is the capital of Ilam Province in western Iran. The Kabir Kuh mountain range lies east of the city. From the west it borders Iraq....
,
IranshahrIranshahr is a city in the Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran. The city is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Baloch speaking the Balochi language.Before 1935 the city was called Pahrah, also spelt Poora, Poorah, and Pura...
,
JolfaJolfa, جلفا, is a small town located in North of Tabriz, in the province of East Azarbaijan Province, Iran and is home to approximately 56,000 people living on 35 kilometers of urban and rural areas...
,
MarandMarand is among major cities in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. It is located in the north-west of Tabriz . Its population based on census on 2007 is 139,032....
,
SarbazSarbaz is a city in the Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran....
, and
ShirazShiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Rudkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river. Shiraz has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for more than a thousand years.The earliest reference to the city,...
took place together with the runoff elections of Tehran for the Iranian Majlis election of 2004.
The first three suggestions by the Ministry, for May 13, May 20, and June 10, 2005, had been rejected by the Council. The Ministry had mentioned that it is concerned that an election later than May 20 may collide with the final exams of the elementary schools and high schools.
The second round of the election happened on June 24, and Iranian nationals born on or before June 24, 1990 were able to vote. The election in Iran began at 09:00 local time (04:30 UTC) and the closing time of the voting polls was at 19:00 (14:30 UTC), but was subject to extension by the Ministry of Interior.
Candidates
The registration of the candidates finished on May 14, 2005 and 1014 candidates had registered to run, including many people who didn't have the qualifications required in the law. More than 90% of the candidates were men, and there were about ninety female candidates. The law about the election process does not include any requirements for people who want to register to run: it only provides qualifications that are to be checked by the Guardian Council.
The candidates must have first be approved by the
Guardian CouncilThe Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.The Iranian constitution calls for the council to be...
before being put to public vote and it could be predicted that some of the candidates would not win the approval, especially
Ebrahim AsgharzadehEbrahim Asgharzadeh is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis from 1989–1993 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003...
and
Ebrahim YazdiEbrahim Yazdi is the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran, which is considered an "illegal party" by some factions within the Iranian government...
, who were rejected by the Council in the
parliamentary elections of 2004The Iranian parliamentary elections of February 20 and May 7, 2004 were a victory for Islamic conservatives over the reformist parties.-Background:The first round of the 2004 elections to the Iranian Parliament were held on February 20, 2004...
and/or the
presidential elections of 2001Iranian presidential election of 2001 took place on June 8, 2001, and resulted in Mohammad Khatami being elected as the President of Iran for his second term.The list of ten candidates and their percentage of votes follows:* Mohammad Khatami: 78.3%...
. There were also some people who expected
Mostafa MoeenMostafa Moeen, M.D. , also spelled Moin, is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
, the most controversial reformist candidate, to be disqualified as well. But the most unpredictable was the disqualification of conservative Reza Zavare'i, a former member of the Guardian Council and an approved presidential candidate for two previous elections.
Also, there was a high probability of rejection of women, because of an ambiguous term ("
rejāl", رجال) in the Constitution of Iran, a requirement for presidential candidates, which may be interpreted as either "men" or "nobles". The Guardian Council, who is also the official interpreter of the constitution, has mentioned on previous elections that the restriction has not been considered in depth yet, since according to the Council's opinion there were no women registered to run for presidency who fulfilled the other requirements of the constitution; but still, the Council believes that the requirement of
rejaal would not match women.
There had also been discussions for a new law proposed in the
MajlisThe Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
, restricting the maximum age of the candidates for the presidential elections. This was widely seen as an attempt to limit the participation of
Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician, writer and former president. Currently he holds the position of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("90323")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Mehdi_Karroubi">Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, cleric, and chairman of the National Trust Party...
. The attempt failed with no proposal appearing.
Approved candidates
The list of all the people who have officially registered to run for the post is not available to the public, but the Guardian Council published a final list of six approved candidates on May 22, rejecting all independent candidates and some candidates from the both wings, specially the reformist candidates
Mostafa MoeenMostafa Moeen, M.D. , also spelled Moin, is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
and
Mohsen MehralizadehMohsen Mehralizadeh is a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
. This raised many objections among the general public and the political parties, including student protests in the Tehran University, among other universities. This, and the objections of some of the approved candidates, led to a letter from
Ayatollah KhameneiAyatollah Sayyid Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i , also known as Ali Khamenei, is an Iranian politician, cleric and the figurehead of the conservative establishment in Iran. He has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 and was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989...
, the
Supreme LeaderThe post of Supreme Leader was created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, to the Guardian Council asking for the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh (this had apparently been because of a request by
Haddad-AdelGholam Ali Haddad-Adel born in 1945 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian philosopher, politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament...
, the conservative Speaker of the
ParliamentThe Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
)
http://isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-531549. It is unknown if that letter meant that the Guardian Council
must have approved these two, or it
should have only reconsidered their case. The next day, on May 23, the Guardian Council announced the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh.
Mohsen RezaeeMohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
, one of the approved conservative candidates, who is the Secretary of
Expediency Discernment CouncilThe Expediency Discernment Council of the System , is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
and a previous commander of the
Iran-Iraq warThe Iran–Iraq War, also known as the Imposed War and Holy Defense in Iran, and Saddām's Qādisiyyah in Iraq, and the First Gulf War , was a war...
, withdrew in the evening of June 15.
These are the candidates approved by the Council of Guardians:
Trans-party
- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician, writer and former president. Currently he holds the position of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("80269")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Expediency_Discernment_Council">Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System , is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
and a former President of Iran, who has won the support of several parties from both of the wings (and may still win more support), but is considered to be leaned towards the conservatives more than towards the reformists. Ironically, the reformist alliance considered him as a possible candidate of theirs more than the conservative alliance. He was invited to run for president by
Executives of Construction PartyThe Executives of Construction Party is a political party in Iran, founded by several members of the cabinet of the then-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani...
(reformist), Combatant Clergy Association (conservative), Islamic Labour Party (conservative), and Workers' House (reformist), as well as several other parties across the whole spectrum of positions. Rafsanjani confirmed he is running for the election on May 10, after lots of speculations
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-525450.
Reformists
- Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, cleric, and chairman of the National Trust Party...
, former Majlis Speaker, Secretary General of Association of Combatant Clerics (MCS), supported by MCS, Islamic Association of Engineers, Majma'-e Gorooh-haa-ye Khat-te Emam, and Democracy Party of Iran.
- Mohsen Mehralizadeh
Mohsen Mehralizadeh is a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
, Vice-President and Head of National Sports Organization, member of IIPF. Mehralizadeh has first announced that he will be running for the post on behalf of the Iranian younger generation, but not if the reformist alliance reaches consensus on another candidate, but during the registration mentioned that he will remain in the race until the end.
- Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen, M.D. , also spelled Moin, is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
, former Minister of Science, Research and Technology, supported by Islamic Iran Participation FrontThe Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
(IIPF) and Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution OrganizationMojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization , sometimes abbreviated to MIRO, is a reformist Iranian political organization. It is a small yet influential organization, and participates in political activities similar to a political party...
(MIRO). Confirmed to run on December 29, 2004. IIPF, an influential reformist party in Iran, has mentioned that they won't support any presidential candidate outside the party, except Mousavi and Moeen. Since Mousavi has declined to run, they supported Moeen, whom they claimed to be the most probable candidate to win the approval of other parties in the reformist alliance. Some conservative Majlis representatives had asked for the Guardian Council's rejection of Moeen, which happened finally but was reversed after a letter by Ayatollah Khamenei. Moeen had announced that he would choose Mohammad Reza KhatamiSeyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami is an Iranian politician and nephrologist.He was the first Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest Iranian reformist party. He is now a member of the central council of the party...
as his First Vice President if he was elected, and had already chosen Elaheh Koulaee, a female representative of the sixth Islamic Assembly, as his spokeswoman.
Conservatives
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country.An engineer and teacher from a poor background, Ahmadinejad joined the...
, Mayor of TehranTehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Tochal mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia...
, member of Islamic Society of EngineersThe Islamic Society of Engineers or ISE, is a political organization in Iran, a member of the conservative Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran....
(ISE), supported by some parts of Alliance of Builders of Islamic IranThe Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran , usually shortened to Abadgaran , is an alliance of some conservative Iranian political parties and organizations...
(ABII). Although Ahmadinejad said he would not seek nomination on February 2, 2005, he returned to the scene later.
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.-Early life and military career:...
, former Commander of Police (niroo-ye entezaami). Contrary to the public announcement of Ayatollah KhameneiAyatollah Sayyid Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i , also known as Ali Khamenei, is an Iranian politician, cleric and the figurehead of the conservative establishment in Iran. He has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 and was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989...
, the Supreme Leader of IranThe post of Supreme Leader was created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, that nobody knows who he will personally vote for, Ghalibaf had claimed privately that he is the person Khamenei will vote for.
- Ali Larijani
Ali Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman/speaker of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan...
, Supreme Leader's representative in National Security Council and a former director of IRIB, who was supposed to be the major conservative candidate, as chosen by the "Council for Coordinating the Revolution Forces" (showrā-ye hamāhangi-e nirūhā-ye enǧelāb), a council of some older and very influential leaders of the conservative alliance.
Rejected candidates
- Reformists
The Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front which refers to the date of President Mohammad Khatami's 1997 landslide election victory in the Iranian Calendar) is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported...
- Akbar A'lami
Akbar Aâlami was born in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, Iran. He is an Iranian politician, a former member of the Iranian parliament. He was nominated for Iranian presidential election, 2009. ...
, Majlis representative of TabrizTabriz is the fourth largest city of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former capitals and residence of the crown prince...
.
- Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis from 1989–1993 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003...
, former member of TehranTehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Tochal mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia...
city council, Secretary General of Islamic Iran Solidarity Party (Hezb-e Hambastegi-e Irān-e Eslāmi), and one of the hostage-takers in Iran hostage crisisThe Iranian hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 53 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American embassy in support of the Iranian Revolution.The...
. It should be noted that Asgharzadeh was even not supported by his own party (Islamic Iran Solidarity Party). Asgharzadeh was rejected by the Guardian Council to run as a candidate in the 2001 presidential electionsIranian presidential election of 2001 took place on June 8, 2001, and resulted in Mohammad Khatami being elected as the President of Iran for his second term.The list of ten candidates and their percentage of votes follows:* Mohammad Khatami: 78.3%...
, which had made him unlikely to be approved this time.
- Mostafa Kavakebian, secretary-general of Democracy Party (hezb-e mardomsālāri). Kavakebian supported Karroubi after he himself was rejected.
- Conservatives
Conservatism is the diverse political and social philosophy that supports tradition and the status quo, or that calls for a return to the values and society of an earlier age, the status quo ante. However, the term has been used by politicians and political commentators with a variety of meanings...
- Zabihollah Bakhshi, commonly known as Haji Bakhshi, militia leader
- Rafat Bayat
Rafat Bayat is an Iranian politician and former parliament member. She was denied candidacy for both the 9th Iranian presidential election and the 10th Iranian presidential election by the Guardian Council....
, Majlis representative from ZanjanZanjan is one of the Azeri inhabited provinces of Iran located in the North-West Iran. Its capital is Zanjan city. Zanjan province with an area of 36,400 km² has a mostly rural, population of 964,601 . The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it via a freeway.Zanjan...
, a member of conservative caucus in parliament. On March 30, she stated that she would run independently, not supported by any significant party in the conservative alliance http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2005/03/050329_mf_bayat.shtml. It was assumed by some people that she would probably get rejected by the Guardian Council, because of the rejāl requirement (see above).
- Reza Zavare'i, former member of Guardian Council, invited to run by Chekaad-e Daaneshjooyaan-e Mosalmaan
- Independents
- Nasser Hejazi
Nasser Hejazi is an Iranian football coach, manager, and former player. One of the most famous football players in Iran. In 2000, the Asian Football Confederation ranked him the second best Asian goalkeeper of the 20th century.-Club career:Hejazi was the goalkeeper of the Taj F.C. and Iran during...
, former goalkeeper of the national football team and former coach of the EsteghlalEsteghlal is translated as independence. It is the name held by many Iranian football clubs and Armenian football clubs. This includes:*Esteghlal F.C.— Iranian football club*Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C...
football club. After his rejection, Hejazi supported Hashemi Rafsanjani as president.
- Mohammad Hossein Pahlevan, known as Arshia, pop singer
- Azam Taleghani
Azam Taleghani is an Iranian politician and journalist. She is head of Society of Islamic Revolution Women of Iran, editor of Payam Hajar Weekly, and a former member of the Iranian parliament....
, daughter of Ayatollah Mahmoud TaleghaniAyatollah Mahmoud Taleghani was an Iranian theologian, Muslim reformer and a senior Shi'a cleric of Iran. Taleghani was a contemporary of the Iranian Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and a leader in his own right of Iran's Shi'a resistance movement against the pro-western,...
.
- Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi is the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran, which is considered an "illegal party" by some factions within the Iranian government...
, former Minister of Foreign affairs in the Interim Government of 1979The Interim Government of Iran was the first government established in Iran after the Islamic Revolution...
, secretary general of Freedom Movement Party. After being rejected by the Guardian Council, Yazdi is supporting Moeen for the presidency.
- Unknown affiliation
Declinations and withdrawals
The most important withdrawal was that of
Mohsen RezaeeMohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed , is an Iranian politician, economist and former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
, one of the candidates who was approved by the Guardian Council and participated in the race until the evening of June 15, 2005, two days before the election and only a few hours before the final deadline allowed for advertisements. Rezaee mentioned he was withdrawing from the race for "the integraton of the votes of the nation" and "their effectiveness". He did not endorse any candidate.
http://isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-541885
Also, several people were considered possible candidates for the post, who later declined to run early in the race or at the final moments before registration. A list of the ones considered seriously in the media includes:
- Reformists
The Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front which refers to the date of President Mohammad Khatami's 1997 landslide election victory in the Iranian Calendar) is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported...
- Safdar Hosseini
Safdar Hosseini is an Iranian politician. He was the Minister of Economy and Finance Affairs of Iran in cabinet of the President Mohammad Khatami, replaced by Davoud Danesh-Jafari on August 24, 2005 in the cabinet of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Before that, he was the Minister of Labour and...
, Minister of Economy and Finance Affair, member of IIPF
- Hadi Khamenei
Hojatoleslam Hadi Khamenei is a mid-ranking cleric who is a member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, and a former member of the Majlis of Iran representing a district in Tehran...
, member of Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam, declined on December 6, 2004
- Mohammad Reza Khatami
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami is an Iranian politician and nephrologist.He was the first Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest Iranian reformist party. He is now a member of the central council of the party...
, former Majlis Vice Speaker, Secretary General of IIPF
- Hassan Khomeini
Seyyed Hassan Khomeini is a "mid-ranking" Iranian cleric. He is the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, and son of Ahmad Khomeini...
, grandson of Ruhollah KhomeiniSayyid Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran...
- Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, painter and architect who served as the fifth and last Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1981 to 1989...
, former Prime Minister, declined on October 12, 2004
- Mohammad Mousavi-Khoiniha, member of MCS, declined on November 21, 2004
- Behzad Nabavi
Behzad Nabavi is an Iranian politician. He served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and was one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization...
, former Majlis Vice Speaker, member of MIRO
- Mohammad Ali Najafi
Mohammad Ali Najafi is an Iranian politician and university professor in mathematics. He has been a minister and later a vice president for planning and budget, and has run for a seat in Tehran City Council in the Iranian City and Village Councils elections, 2006.-Academic career:Najafi earned...
, former Minister of Education
- Abdollah Ramezanzadeh
Dr. Abdollah Ramezanzadeh , also spelled Ramazanzadeh, is an Iranian academic, writer and politician.He is the former spokesman and secretary of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the presidency of Muhammad Khatami.Ramezanzadeh is an assistant professor in faculty of Law and...
, Spokesman of Government, member of IIPF
- Conservatives
Conservatism is the diverse political and social philosophy that supports tradition and the status quo, or that calls for a return to the values and society of an earlier age, the status quo ante. However, the term has been used by politicians and political commentators with a variety of meanings...
- Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel born in 1945 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian philosopher, politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament...
, Speaker of MajlisThe Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
, he declined his activities for election and said that he will try to re-ally conservatives for election.
- Abdollah Jasbi
Abdollah Jasbi is an Iranian academic, pragmatic politician and president of Azad University, a mega university with 1.3 million enrollments....
, President of Islamic Azad UniversityIslamic Azad University is a private chain of universities in Iran.Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the Islamic Azad University was founded in 1982 and currently has an enrollment of 1.3 million students...
. Jasbi withdrew in favor of Hashemi Rafsanjani.
- Mohammad Javad Larijani
Mohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian politician, cleric and mathematician! He is currently the Director of Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics in Tehran. Previously, he has been a Majlis representative and the director of Majlis Research Center, and a Vice...
, Director of IPMThe Institute for research in fundamental sciences , often shortened to IPM is a government-sponsored advanced research institute founded in 1989 in Tehran, Iran.Founded in 1989, the institute was the first Iranian organization to connect to the Internet...
. He strongly endorses his brother Ali Larijani for presidency.
- Hossein Mirmohammad-Sadeghi, former speaker of Judiciary Branch
- Ahmad Tavakkoli
Ahmad Tavakkoli is a conservative representative of Tehran in the Iranian parliament, and the Director of Strategic Majlis Research Center. He is a former revolutionary prosecutor, infamous for performing punishments like cutting the hands of thieves and stoning for adultery...
, Majlis representative and Director of Majlis Research Center and former presidential candidate. Tavakkoli resigned from the race on May 1, 2005, telling that he is doing this to help minimize the diversity in the conservative camp. He is supporting Ghalibaf in the elections.
- Ali Akbar Velayati
Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati is an Iranian politician. Currently an advisor in International Affairs to the Supreme Leader, he was the Foreign Minister of Iran....
, an Adviser to the Supreme LeaderThe post of Supreme Leader was created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
for foreign affairs, and a former Minister of Foreign AffairsThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an Iranian government ministry. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the Cabinet member in charge....
. Velayati was supported inside the conservative alliance by Islamic Coalition Party (ICP). Valayati had confirmed that he does not accept the support of the Council for Coordination and will run independently, unless Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was the President of Iran during Velayati's ministership, runs. On May 14, Velayati did not register to run until the official deadline, and then announced that he is supporting Rafsanjani in the elections.
- Independents
- Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, human rights activist and founder of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran. On October 10, 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's, children's, and...
, winner of Nobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:...
in 2003, declined on January 2, 2005, despite support among some independent groups and parties, which are usually called pro-Human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
Polling
While pre-voting polls mostly favored a run-off between Rafsanjani and Mostafa Moeen, the actual vote counts from the Ministry of Interior unexpectedly put Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and
Mehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, cleric, and chairman of the National Trust Party...
in second and third places. Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad led with respectively 21.0% and 19.5% of the votes, and were followed by Karroubi (17.3%), Moeen (13.93%) ,
GhalibafMohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.-Early life and military career:...
(13.89%),
LarijaniAli Ardashir Larijani is an Iranian philosopher, politician and the chairman/speaker of the Iranian parliament. Larijani was the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from August 15, 2005 to October 20, 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,replacing Hassan...
(5.9%), and
MehralizadehMohsen Mehralizadeh is a Vice President of Iran and the head of the National Sports Organization of Iran under President Khatami...
(4.4%)
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-543096. Domestically, there were 29,317,039 votes, which amounts to a turnout of 62.66%, as there were 46,786,418 eligible voters.
Results
The first round of the election was a very close race with minor differences in the number of votes won by each candidate which led to a run-off a week later with Ahmadinejad and ex-president
Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician, writer and former president. Currently he holds the position of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("96424")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Guardian_Council">Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.The Iranian constitution calls for the council to be...
, which is responsible for vetting by constitution for election. Rafsanjani, who had been regarded as the front-runner and had positioned himself as a centrist, was defeated by Ahmadinejad in the run-off, while reformist candidate
Mostafa MoeenMostafa Moeen, M.D. , also spelled Moin, is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
fared poorly and finished only fifth in the first round.
This was the first presidential runoff in the history of Iran. Before the run-off took place, it was compared to the 2002 French presidential election, where the splintering of the left-wing vote similarly led to a run-off between the moderate
Jacques ChiracJacques René Chirac served as the President of France from 17 May 1995 until 16 May 2007. As President he also served as an ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra and Grand Master of the French Légion d'honneur. Chirac was the second-longest serving President of France , behind François Mitterrand...
and the far-right
Jean-Marie Le PenJean-Marie Le Pen is a French conservative and nationalist politician who is founder and president of the Front National party...
. The comparison was made because of the unexpected votes in favor of Ahmadinejad, the very close race, and the comparability of the political standings of Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad to those of Chirac and Le Pen. But after the results for the run-off were made public, the comparison was considered void due to the loss of the moderate candidate Rafsanjani, although Ahmadinejad's opponents formed an alliance against him.
There was a total of 27,959,253 votes in the second round, slightly lower than the first round. Considering that the number of eligible votes was raised by about 150,000 people, the turnout was about 59.6%.
The tabulated results follow:
Turnout
The
Islamic RepublicIslamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Islamic...
government of Iran, especially the
Supreme LeaderThe post of Supreme Leader was created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
and the higher offices, publicly considers the
turnoutTurnout may refer to:* Turnout , a rotation of the leg which comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of the body* Voter turnout, the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election...
of the voters, which was about 64% in the first round, to resemble the support of the population for the regime, while some voters consider voting for the candidates less aligned with the supreme leader as a vote against the current practices of the regime.
Also, some voters, including exiled citizens belonging to opposition political groups or monarchists (both living outside Iran), some parts of the intellectual community living in Iran, and even a few
reformistThe Iranian reform movement , or the Reforms Front also known as 2nd of Khordad Front which refers to the date of President Mohammad Khatami's 1997 landslide election victory in the Iranian Calendar) is a political movement by a group of political parties and organizations in Iran who supported...
s, had
boycotted the electionAn election boycott is the boycotting of an election by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of political protest where voters feel that electoral fraud is likely, or that the electoral system is biased against its candidates, or that the polity...
as a symbol of not supporting the current regime and its practices. The boycotters' reasons included the massive rejection of registered candidates, that they believed that the role of the Iranian president is insignificant in the power structure and overshadowed by those of the supreme leader who is practically elected for life, and that they believed that all the candidates had already helped the regime in the oppression of its political opposition or would do so if elected. The most famous boycott leader was
Akbar GanjiAkbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as a "Iran’s preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly...
, imprisoned in
Evin prisonEvin Prison is a prison in Iran, located in northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.-Background:...
for his journalism and in a
hunger strikeA hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
.
While some members of the intellectual community in Iran supported the boycott, some key figures, residing inside Iran or exiled to Europe or North America, had asked their readers and the general population to vote in the election, reasoning that not voting in the election would result in the election of one of the three conservative candidates, who were all
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
people with a background in
Islamic Revolutionary Guards CorpsThe Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution. Sepāh is thought to number as many as 120,000 with its own small naval and air units...
. The most famous supporters of voting in the intellectual community included
Ebrahim NabaviSeyyed Ebrahim Nabavi is a prolific Iranian satirist, writer, diarist, and researcher. , he is the most widely known and active Iranian satirist, currently living in Belgium...
, Masoud Behnoud, and Khashayar Deyhimi. These people were mostly supporting
MoeenMostafa Moeen, M.D. , also spelled Moin, is an Iranian politician and professor of Pediatrics, and an advisor to the former President Mohammad Khatami. He was a presidential candidate for the 2005 Iranian presidential election...
as their preferred candidate who is considered to be the least aligned with Ayatollah Khamenei, but a few have also talked or written in support of
RafsanjaniAyatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician, writer and former president. Currently he holds the position of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("48489")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Mehdi_Karroubi">Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, cleric, and chairman of the National Trust Party...
.
After the results of the first round, many of the supporters of the boycott are now supporting Hashemi Rafsanjani, and many of the supporters of the reformist candidates, including many supporters of Moeen, are doing the same.
Islamic Iran Participation FrontThe Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
(IIPF) and
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution OrganizationMojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization , sometimes abbreviated to MIRO, is a reformist Iranian political organization. It is a small yet influential organization, and participates in political activities similar to a political party...
(MIRO), as the two main parties who supported Moeen, are included, with IIPF asking for "uniting against the rise of religious
fascismFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
" and MIRO telling about the rival "
FührerThe word Führer is 'leader' or 'guide' in the German language, derived from the verb , a cognate of the Old English words faran and fær and the Modern English words derived from the older terms such as now mostly used in compounds such as wayfarer and sea-faring...
-istic mindset". Moeen himself has mentioned that he will not personally vote in the second round, but that his supporters "should take the danger of fascism seriously" and should not think about a boycott in the second round.
Also,
Emadeddin BaghiEmadeddin Baghi is a "prominent Iranian rights activist and leading prisoners' rights advocate," and a "renowned Iranian investigative journalist." He is the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights and the Society of Right to Life Guardians in Iran and the author of...
, the President of the Iranian Association for Supporting Prisoners' Rights and one of the boycotters, has also spoken in support of Rafsanjani and mentioned that while he still considers Rafsanjani a conservative, he prefers his traditional conservatism to Ahmadinezhad's fundamentalism.
Comparative to other elections, there does not seem to be any major drop in number of votes caused by boycott. The turnout in the previous election, i.e. Khatami's second term, was at 67%.
Election controversies
After the first round of the election, some people, including
Mehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, cleric, and chairman of the National Trust Party...
, the pragmatic reformist candidate who ranked third in the first round but was the first when partial results were first published, have alleged that a network of
mosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, —...
s, the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards CorpsThe Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution. Sepāh is thought to number as many as 120,000 with its own small naval and air units...
military forces, and Basij militia forces have been illegally used to generate and mobilize support for Ahmadinejad. Karroubi has explicitly alleged that
Mojtaba KhameneiMojtaba Khamenei , is an Iranian hard-line cleric, and the second son of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.Mojtaba is reported to have a strong influence over his father and is talked about as his possible successor...
, a son of the
Supreme LeaderThe post of Supreme Leader was created in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
Ayatollah Khamenei, was involved. Ayatollah Khamenei then wrote to Karroubi and mentioned that these allegations are below his dignity and will result in a crisis in
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
, which he will not allow. As a reply, Karroubi resigned from all his political posts, including an Advisor to the Supreme Leader and a member of
Expediency Discernment CouncilThe Expediency Discernment Council of the System , is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988...
, on both of which he had been installed by Khamenei. The day after, on June 20, a few reformist morning newspapers,
Eghbal,
Hayat-e No,
Aftab-e Yazd, and
EtemaadEtemaad is the name of two newspapers; one in India and one in Iran. Though they have the same name, there does not appear to be any connection between them...
were stopped from distribution by the general prosecutor of Tehran,
Saeed MortazaviSaeed Mortazavi is a controversial Iranian jurist and former prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of Tehran, a position he has held from 2003 to 2009. He has been called as "butcher of the press" and "torturer of Tehran" by some observers...
, for publishing Karroubi's letter.
Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician, writer and former president. Currently he holds the position of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ' onMouseout='HidePop("90678")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Islamic_Iran_Participation_Front">Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
, have alleged that Ahmadinejad had only ranked second because of the illegal support and advertising activities for him during the voting by the supervisors selected by the
Guardian CouncilThe Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.The Iranian constitution calls for the council to be...
, while the supervisors should have remained impartisan according to the election law. Also, the reformist newspaper
SharghShargh was the most popular reformist newspaper in Iran. It is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian, and its chief editor was Mohammad Ghouchani in its first period of publication...
has pointed to an announcement by Movahhedi Kermani, the official representative of the supreme leader in Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, mentioning "vote for a person who keeps to the minimum in his advertisements and doesn't lavish", which uniquely pointed to Ahmadinejad.
http://sharghnewspaper.com/840330/html/online.htm#s245649
Many of the controversies include the Guardian Council in the illegal activities, including it publishing an opinion poll before the election putting Ahmadinejad as the front-runner against all other opinion polls, and it announcing the partial results of the election on the day after the election, putting Ahmadinejad on the second rank while he was still in the third rank in the partial statistics published by the Ministry of Interior, which led to President Khatami going to the Ministry several times and explicitly asking the Council to not announce any more partial results.
External links
Sources