Muhammad Khatami is an Iranian reformist politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later,he was critical of the government of subsequent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Ali Ardeshir Larijani is an Iranian conservative politician,philosopher and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
Presidential elections were held in Iran 17 June 2005,with a second round run-off on 24 June. Mohammad Khatami,the previous president of Iran,stepped down on 2 August 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 Ahmadinejad,the hardline mayor of Tehran,with 19.48% of the votes in the first round and 61.69% in the second. Factors thought to have contributed to Ahmadinejad's victory include mobilization of mosque networks and conservative/hardline voters,and a protest vote against corrupt elite insiders and for "new political blood". A loyal supporter of conservative Supreme Leader Khamenei,Ahmadinejad kissed the leader's hand during his authorization ceremony. Officials reported a turnout of about 59% of Iran's 47 million eligible voters,a decline from the 63% turnout reported in the first round of balloting a week before.
Mohammad Reza Aref is an Iranian engineer,academic and reformist politician who was the parliamentary leader of reformists' Hope fraction in the Iranian Parliament,representing Tehran,Rey,Shemiranat and Eslamshahr. Aref has also been heading the Reformists' Supreme Council for Policymaking since its establishment in 2015. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
Manouchehr Mottaki is an Iranian politician and diplomat. He was the Iranian minister of foreign affairs. Whilst technically appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,he is considered to be closer to more pragmatic conservative factions and during the 2005 presidential election,he was the campaign manager of Ali Larijani,the conservative candidate. He was also a presidential candidate in the 2013 presidential election,but withdrew before the polling began. It was rumored that his nomination was rejected by Guardian Council,which he denied.
Mohammad-Ali Najafi is an Iranian mathematician and reformist politician who was the Mayor of Tehran,serving in the post for eight months,until April 2018. He held cabinet portfolios during the 1980s,1990s and 2010s. He is also a retired professor of mathematics at Sharif University of Technology.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth first vice president from 13 September 2009 until 3 August 2013. His previous posts included governor of the Kurdistan province and vice president for parliamentary affairs.
Sayyid Parviz Fattah is an Iranian conservative politician and former member of Revolutionary Guard. He is currently head of the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order since 2023.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956,is an Iranian principlist and nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was known for his hardline views and nuclearisation of Iran. He was also the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran,a coalition of conservative political groups in the country,and served as mayor of Tehran from 2003 to 2005,reversing many of his predecessor's reforms.
Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi is an Iranian politician who served as the sixth first vice president from 2013 until 2021 in Hassan Rouhani's government. Jahangiri was the minister of industries and mines from 1997 to 2005 under President Mohammad Khatami. Before that,he was the governor of Isfahan Province. He was also a member of Parliament for two terms.
Presidential elections were held in Iran on 12 June 2009,with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency,Iran's news agency,announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted,Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast,and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast. There were large irregularities in the results and people were surprised by them,which resulted in protests of millions of Iranians,across every Iranian city and around the world and the emergence of the opposition Iranian Green Movement.
The Cabinet of Iran is a formal body composed of government officials,ministers,chosen and led by a President. Its composition must be approved by a vote in the Parliament. According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran,the President may dismiss members of the cabinet,but must do so in writing,and new appointees must again be approved by the Parliament. The cabinet meets weekly on Saturdays in Tehran. There may be additional meetings if circumstances require it. The president chairs the meetings. The Supreme Leader has the power to dismiss cabinet members like ministers and vice presidents,as well as the President,at any time,regardless of the Parliament's decisions.
The parliamentary election for the 9th Islamic Consultative Assembly,or Majlis,were held in Iran on Friday,2 March 2012 with a second round on 4 May 2012 in those 65 districts where no candidate received 25% or more of the votes cast. More than 5,000 candidates registered but more than a third were disqualified by the Guardian Council leaving about 3,400 candidates to run for the 290 seat representing the 31 provinces.
Ali Nikzad is an Iranian conservative politician and academic and a former cabinet minister.
Abdolreza Sheykholeslami is an Iranian politician who is the former Minister of Cooperatives,Labour and Social Welfare. Before that,he was the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the second cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2009 to 2011. He was dismissed from office on 3 February 2013,being the ninth minister to be fired during the second term of president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad since 2009.
Mohammad Hosseini is an Iranian politician and who is currently serving as the vice president for parliamentary affairs in the cabinet of Ebrahim Raisi.
Hassan Rouhani is an Iranian Islamist politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"),academic,former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He has been a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts since 1999. He was a member of the Expediency Council from 1991 to 2021,and also was a member of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2021. Rouhani was deputy speaker of the fourth and fifth terms of the Parliament of Iran (Majlis) and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005. In the latter capacity,he was the country's top negotiator with the EU three,UK,France,and Germany,on nuclear technology in Iran,and has also served as a Shia mujtahid,and economic trade negotiator.
Mohammad Jahromi is a former Iranian governor and politician who served as minister of labor and social affairs from 2005 to 2009.
Mohammad Shariatmadari is an Iranian politician and former Minister of Cooperatives,Labour and Social Welfare. He was in position of minister of Industry,from 2017 to 2018. He also served as minister of commerce from 1997 to 2005 in the cabinet of President Mohammad Khatami. He was campaign chairman of Hassan Rouhani for 2017 bid.
Mohammad-Reza Aref served as the First Vice President of Iran,from 2001 to 2005 under Mohammad Khatami. Aref previously served as Minister of Technology in the first Khatami government. He is also a Sharif University of Technology professor. He announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election on 13 February 2013. On 11 June an announcement was made on his website that he is dropping out of the race.
