Moderate's re-election a warning for Ahmadinejad

Thursday May 10, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Tehran’s mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, walks on the roof of the municipality
building in the Iranian capital. Photograph: Hasan Sarbakhshian/AP

The mayor of Tehran has been re-elected in a vote seen as a victory for moderate conservatives in Iran and a sign of waning support for the country's hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is considered a likely rival to Mr Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election.

"This is an important event. It shows that conservatives are distancing themselves from radicals headed by Ahmadinejad," said Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian political analyst and columnist, yesterday.

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Mr Qalibaf is a conservative who backs the Islamic regime, but also a pragmatist who has stressed efficiency over hardline ideology in running Tehran. The mayor's re-election is regarded as a reflection of pragmatic conservatives' increasing discontent with Mr Ahmadinejad's harsh anti-Western rhetoric and his failure to improve Iran's weak economy.

Tehran city council members were under tremendous pressure from the government not to vote for Mr Qalibaf, who won the backing of eight of the council's 15 members.

Mohsen Mirdamadi, the leader of Iran's largest reformist party, said Mr Ahmadinejad's allies pushed council members to elect any other candidate - even a more liberal one - rather than Mr Qalibaf.

Mr Ahmadinejad was the previous mayor of Tehran and used the high-profile post as a stepping stone to win the presidential election - and political analysts believe he is clearly worried Mr Qalibaf could do the same.

Mr Qalibaf's efforts to modernise Tehran's administration have appealed to Iranians seeking greater efficiency in the city. He has completed construction of expressways and tunnels, improved the subway and expanded green areas and public parks. And he has pushed ahead on the construction of a cinema, even though it is frowned on by hardliners.

Although he supports Iran's clerical leadership, Mr Qalibaf has not pushed an agenda of Islamic rules. Female staff at the Tehran municipality have not been forced to wear the chador, a head-to-toe robe that is the most conservative of Islamic dress.

"Qalibaf's record as Tehran mayor indicates his skill in strategic management, something that has rarely been applied in the capital," said Mohammad Khoshchehreh, a conservative lawmaker who campaigned for Ahmadinejad in 2005 but later became a vocal critic.

Mr Qalibaf, 46, ran in the last presidential election but did not make it to the runoff. However, he could be Mr Ahmadinejad's strongest opponent in the election expected in June 2009.

Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the country's most powerful politicians, lost in 2005 and the 72-year-old may not run again because of his age.

As head of Iran's national police before becoming mayor in 2005, Mr Qalibaf won praise for dealing peacefully with pro-democracy student protests. Unlike his predecessors, he did not put down the demonstrations and restrained hardline vigilantes who are often unleashed against protesters

Moderate re-elected as Tehran mayor

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran - The Tehran City Council defied hard-line government pressure on Wednesday, re-electing a moderate-leaning mayor who is seen as a potential rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.


The government had been campaigning to keep Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf from being picked again as mayor of the capital. But the City Council vote appeared to indicate waning support for Ahmadinejad, especially in the city he used to lead.

"Mr. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf once again was elected as Tehran mayor," state-radio reported, saying he received eight of the 15 council votes.

Qalibaf's re-election would be seen here as a victory for "moderate conservatives" — supporters of Iran's cleric-led power structure angry at Ahmadinejad over his harsh anti-Western rhetoric and faltering economic policies.

Though conservative, Qalibaf is considered more of a pragmatist compared with Ahmadinejad, who has faced increasing criticism at home for fueling fights with the U.S. and other Western countries over Iran's disputed nuclear program. During local council elections in December, the president's allies suffered an embarrassing defeat in a vote that was seen as a sign of growing public discontent with his leadership.

The mayor's post was a stepping stone for Ahmadinejad before being elected president in 2005. His supporters fear Qalibaf could follow in his footsteps because he appears to have more popular support, especially in Tehran. Earlier this week, state-run radio conducted an opinion poll via cell phone text messages in which it said more than 82 percent people supported Qalibaf.

The mayor has won praise for dealing peacefully with pro-democracy student protests as head of Iran's national police until 2005 and refraining from the iron-fist tactics of his predecessors. He is also credited with trying to bring more professionalism to the force and change its image to one of more neutrality.

The City Council spent three days hearing from the candidates and voting. Originally, there were four candidates including Qalibaf and two Ahmadinejad allies — but the final vote on Wednesday was between the current mayor and Rasoul Khadem, another conservative moderate and former wrestling champion. State radio said Qalibaf received eight votes and Khadem six, with one council member abstaining.

Tehran City Council members were said to have been under tremendous pressure from the government not to vote for Qalibaf, although the council's spokesman, Khoshrow Daneshjoo, has claimed that political pressures wouldn't influence the vote.

Mohsen Mirdamadi, leader of Iran's largest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, has said Ahmadinejad allies oppose Qalibaf's re-election as mayor because they fear he could be a rival in the next presidential balloting.

Qalibaf is seen as a likely candidate in the next presidential elections, expected in late 2008 or early 2009, because Ahmadinejad's strongest opponent so far, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 72, likely won't run because of his age.

Qalibaf is considered to be in the same line as Rafsanjani, who is also considered a more moderate figure than Ahmadinejad, although it is not clear whether Rafsanjani would necessarily support him.