Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

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Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی
Image:Rafsanjani.jpg
Order: 4th President of Iran
First Vice President: Hassan Habibi
Term of office: August 3, 1989 – August 2, 1997
Preceded by: Ali Khamenei
Succeeded by: Mohammad Khatami
Date of birth: 1934
Place of birth: Nough, Iran
Political party: Militant Clergy Association

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (Persian: اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی), born as Hashemi Bahramani (هاشمی بهرمانی) , born August 25, 1934, is one of the most influential Iranian politicians, and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran.

He served as President of Iran from 1989 to 1997. In 2005 he tried to win a third term in office, but lost on the second ballot to Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2005 Iranian presidential election.

Contents

Personal life

Rafsanjani was born in the city of Rafsanjan, located in central Iran. From a marriage in 1958, Rafsanjani has three sons Mohsen, Mehdi, and Yasser (who was named after Yasser Arafat [1]), and also two daughters Fatemeh and Faezeh. Only Faezeh Hashemi took a political life, which led to her being a Majlis representative and then the publisher of the newspaper Zan.

Rafsanjani has authored a few books, most importantly including a book on Amir Kabir titled Amir Kabir, the Hero of Fighting against Imperialism.

Political life

Image:Rafsanjani-time.jpg

Rafsanjani was a key member of Iran's Revolutionary Council at the beginning of the new Islamic Republic, together with Mohammad Javad Bahonar, Mohammad Beheshti, Morteza Motahhari, and Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili.

A cleric by profession, Rafsanjani became the first speaker for the new Iranian Parliament after the beginning of the Islamic Republic and served until 1989.

Rafsanjani served as President of Iran from August 17, 1989 to 1997, and was the first president of Iran to step down willingly: of his predecessors, Abolhassan Banisadr was successfully impeached, Mohammad Ali Rajai was assassinated, and Ali Khamenei was promoted to Supreme Leader.

In 2000, in the first election after the expiration of his two presidential terms, he candidated himself for the Parliament elections again, but was not among the 30 representatives of Tehran successfully elected, as announced by the Ministry of Interior. The Council of Guardians then ruled numerous ballots "void" and were able to get him chosen as the 30th candidate. He became a member of parliament again, but resigned before swearing-in as an MP. He explained his reason as "being able to serve the people better in other posts".

Rafsanjani is currently the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, that resolves legislative issues between the Parliament and the Council of Guardians and advises the supreme leader on matters of national policy. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the body which elects the supreme leader.

Relations with the West

During his Qods Day speech on December 14, 2001, Rafsanjani alluded to Iran's position toward Israel and the Western world. He said (according to a translation by the BBC):

If one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything. However, it will only harm the Islamic world. It is not irrational to contemplate such an eventuality. [2] [3] [4] [5]

References

External links

Preceded by:
Ali Khamenei 		President of Iran
1989—1997 		Succeeded by:
Mohammad Khatami
Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Akbar_Hashemi_Rafsanjani.html"


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