Insight on Iran’s Presidential Election

June 8th, 2009 - 8 Comments

Record numbers are expected to turn out for Friday’s presidential election in Iran, which features President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running for another four-year term against three challengers. Smeal’s Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, says that the reelection of Ahmadinejad is not quite a foregone conclusion.

Last week, he wrote a piece previewing the election, outlining the implications for U.S. foreign policy, and explaining why he believes the challengers pose a threat to Ahmadinejad. You can read his entire election preview online here.

Below, Ghadar provides some background on each of the candidates:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: He is a former Revolutionary Guard, and his anti-Israel rhetoric and support for Iran’s nuclear program have caused alarm in the West. During his term in office, we have seen tensions rise in U.S.-Iranian relations. At 53, he is the youngest candidate, Iran’s first nonclerical president in more than 25 years, and appears to have the backing of the supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged voters in May to choose an anti-Western leader. However, Ahmadinejad is blamed for a disappointing economy, unemployment, and rising inflation. He has promised to share Iran’s oil wealth more fairly: a position that still resonates with the poor.

For Ahmadinejad, the stakes could not be higher. In order to assure his support among the poor, the government is handing out 400,000 tons of free potatoes in rural areas. Ahmadinejad’s opponents accuse him of trying to buy the poor’s vote. “Death to potatoes” is a moderate rally chant. While to much of the world the election is about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, to most Iranians, the economy is the main issue.

Mohsen Rezaie: Rezaie is branded as a moderate conservative. He is 55 years old; only slightly older than Ahmadinejad. He was commander of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iraq war and now heads the Expediency Council. In 2006, an international arrest warrant was issued against Rezaie for alleged involvement in the Buenos Aires bombing of a Jewish cultural center in 1994; he denies any involvement. He will pursue Ahmadinejad’s ideological path but with a more moderate foreign policy position. He supports privatization to improve the non-oil sectors of the economy. His support is likely to come from conservatives opposed to Ahmadinejad. This may split the conservative vote, preventing a 50 percent first round decision. Few expect him to win the election.

Mir Hossein Mousavi: The 67-year-old Mousavi is viewed by many moderates and some conservatives as Ahmadinejad’s strongest challenger. He is known for his competent economic management when he was prime minister during Iran’s war with Iraq (1980–88). However, critics argue that it was more of a Soviet-style state-controlled economy; although presently, Mousavi advocates a more liberal economic posture to cope with inflation and unemployment.

Mousavi was chosen by Khomeini as prime minister, but after Khomeini’s death, Khamenei became the supreme spiritual leader, and in 1989, the post of prime minister was abolished. Mousavi, an architect and painter, kept out of politics until recently and is not as well known among the young. Older Iranians remember him as a close Khomeini ally. However, today Mousavi is successfully wooing young voters with reformist statements. He, with help from his wife, who has revolutionary credentials of her own, are also spearheading women’s rights issues. His platform also backs a more conciliatory foreign policy toward the West. Mousavi’s past performance, however, suggests to many observers that he is likely to run the country much as previous presidents have done.

Mehdi Karoubi: Karoubi is the most moderate of the candidates and a strong critic of Ahmadinejad. He is 72 years old. Karoubi was an activist in the Islamic revolution but joined the reformist camp during the time when Khatami was president from 1997 to 2005. Karoubi was parliament speaker from 2000 to 2004; however, he often buckled to pressure from conservative religious and security hard-liners and blocked Khatami’s attempts at reform. He made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2005.

Karoubi is in favor of better ties with the United States and has proposed a plan to give shares of Iran’s oil earnings to every Iranian over 18.

Tags: Ghadar, Politics

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