Posted on 05/09/2007 3:59:31 PM PDT by jdm
TEHRAN (AP) — The Tehran city council defied 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 city. 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 reelection 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 to Ahmadinejad, who has faced increasing criticism at home for fuelling fights with the US and other Western countries over Iran's disputed nuclear programme. During local council elections in December, the Ahmadinejad'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 as 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 cellphone text messages in which it said more than 82 per cent 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 ironfist 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, Khadem six and 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, though 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 reelection as mayor because they fear he could be a rival in the next presidential elections.
Qalibaf is seen as a likely candidate in the next presidential elections, expected to be held 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.
Good news from within the country itself.
Iran has supposedly been on the “tipping point” for some time now. I heard today that it gets 52% of its gasoline from the outside and only has one refinery. Hint, hint...
All the more frightening the fact their tyrants are running out of time (like South Africa for instance), but unlike South Africa aren’t constrained by western based morality. Hence they are bad, very bad news.
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