Presidential elections were held in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
17 June 2005, with a second round
run-off on 24 June.
Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric 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 critic ...
, the outgoing
president of Iran
The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran () is the head of government of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran and the second highest-ranking official, after the Supreme Leader of Iran, supreme leader. The 1980 Iranian presidential election, fi ...
, stepped down on 2 August 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the
Islamic republic's constitution.
As no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a run-off was held between the top two candidates, former president (1989–1997)
Akbar Rafsanjanī and
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...
, the hardline mayor of
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
. Although Ahmadinejad had finished second in the first round of voting, he won the second round with 63% of the vote. 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". He was a loyal supporter of conservative Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Schedule
Schedule of the election had been decided between the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council for 17 June 2005. The election will continue as a runoff race, which will take place a week later than the first round of elections, on 24 June 2005. The registration of candidates began on 10 May 2005 and continued for five days, until 14 May. If the Guardian Council had requested, it may have been extended for five more days, until 19 May. The candidates were not allowed to do advertisements, until the final list of approved candidates are known. The official period for advertisement was from 27 May to 15 June.
In the first round, Iranian nationals born on or before 17 June 1990, residing in or outside Iran, were able to vote. The election in Iran began on 09:00 local time (04:30
UTC) and while the original deadline was ten hours later on 19:00 (14:30 UTC), the deadline was extended three times by the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement.
In some states, th ...
, finally until 23:00 (18:30 UTC). Outside Iran, different times are used as the opening and closing hours for the polling offices. On the same date, mid-term Majlis elections for
Gachsaran,
Garmsar,
Ghazvin,
Ilam,
Iranshahr,
Jolfa,
Marand,
Sarbaz, and
Shiraz
Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
took place together with the runoff elections of Tehran for the
Iranian Majlis election of 2004.
The first three suggestions by the Ministry, for 13 May, 20 May and 10 June 2005, had been rejected by the council. The Ministry had mentioned that it is concerned that an election later than 20 May may collide with the final exams of the elementary schools and high schools.
The second round of the election occurred on 24 June and Iranian nationals born on or before 24 June 1990 were able to vote. The election in Iran began at 09:00 local time (04:30 UTC) and the closing time of the voting polls was at 19:00 (14:30 UTC), but was subject to extension by the Ministry of Interior.
Candidates
The registration of the candidates finished on 14 May 2005 and 1014 candidates had registered to run, including many people who did not have the qualifications required in the law. More than 90% of the candidates were men, and there were about ninety female candidates. The law about the election process does not include any requirements for people who want to register to run: it only provides qualifications that are to be checked by the Guardian Council.
The candidates must have first be approved by the
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The constitution ...
before being put to public vote and it could be predicted that some of the candidates would not win the approval, especially
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh () is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis (Iran's legislature) from 1988–1992 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003. His career in politics s ...
and
Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi (; 26 September 1931 – 27 August 2017) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician, pharmacist, and diplomat who served as deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran), minister of foreign affairs in the Interim Go ...
, who were rejected by the Council in the
parliamentary elections of 2004 and/or the
presidential elections of 2001. There were also some people who expected
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen (; born 1 April 1951 in Najafabad, Isfahan) is an Iranian politician, professor of pediatrics, and a human rights activist who is currently founder and president of the Front for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. He was a presi ...
, the most controversial reformist candidate, to be disqualified as well. But the most unpredictable was the disqualification of conservative
Reza Zavare'i
Seyyed Reżā Zavāreʾi (; 1938 – 26 August 2005) was an Iranian jurist and politician. He served as a member of the Member of Guardian Council from 1995 to 1996, and 1998 to 2004.
He was acting mayor of Tehran, deputy head of the ...
, a former member of the Guardian Council and an approved presidential candidate for two previous elections.
Also, there was a high probability of rejection of women, because of an ambiguous term ("''rejāl''", رجال) in the
Constitution of Iran, a requirement for presidential candidates, which may be interpreted as either "men" or "nobles". The Guardian Council, who is also the official interpreter of the constitution, has mentioned on previous elections that the restriction has not been considered in depth yet, since according to the council's opinion there were no women registered to run for presidency who fulfilled the other requirements of the constitution; but still, the Council believes that the requirement of ''rejal'' would not match women.
There had also been discussions for a new law proposed in the
Majlis
(, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...
, restricting the maximum age of the candidates for the presidential elections. This was widely seen as an attempt to limit the participation of
Akbar Rafsanjanī and
Mehdi Karroubi. The attempt failed with no proposal appearing.
File:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 2005 - thumbnail.jpg, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...
File:Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf cropped.jpg, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...
File:AkbarHashemiRafsanjani.jpg, Akbar Rafsanjanī
File:Karroubi 2006 portrait.jpg, Mehdi Karroubi
File:Msc 2009-Friday, 16.00 - 19.00 Uhr-Dett 007 Larijani.jpg, Ali Larijani
File:Mohsen Mehralizadeh.jpg, Mohsen Mehralizadeh
File:Mostafa moeen.jpg, Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen (; born 1 April 1951 in Najafabad, Isfahan) is an Iranian politician, professor of pediatrics, and a human rights activist who is currently founder and president of the Front for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. He was a presi ...
Approved candidates
The list of all the people who have officially registered to run for the post is not available to the public, but the Guardian Council published a final list of six approved candidates on 22 May rejecting all independent candidates and some candidates from the both wings, specially the reformist candidates
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen (; born 1 April 1951 in Najafabad, Isfahan) is an Iranian politician, professor of pediatrics, and a human rights activist who is currently founder and president of the Front for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. He was a presi ...
and
Mohsen Mehralizadeh. This raised many objections among the general public and the political parties, including student protests in the
Tehran University
The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...
, among other universities. This, and the objections of some of the approved candidates, led to a letter from
Ayatollah Khamenei, the
Supreme Leader
A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...
, to the Guardian Council asking for the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh (this had apparently been because of a request by
Haddad-Adel, the conservative Speaker of the
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
). It is unknown if that letter meant that the Guardian Council ''must'' have approved these two, or it ''should'' have only reconsidered their case. The next day, on 23 May, the Guardian Council announced the approval of Moeen and Mehralizadeh.
Mohsen Rezaee, one of the approved conservative candidates, who is the Secretary of
Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of ...
and a previous commander of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
, withdrew in the evening of 15 June.
These were the candidates approved by the Council of Guardians:
Trans-party
*
Akbar Rafsanjanī, Chairman of the
Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of ...
and a former President of Iran, who has won the support of several parties from both of the wings (and may still win more support), but is considered to lean towards the conservatives more than towards the reformists. Ironically, the reformist alliance considered him as a possible candidate of theirs more than the conservative alliance. He was invited to run for president by
Executives of Construction Party
The Executives of Construction of Iran Party () is a reformist political party in Iran, founded by 16 members of the cabinet of the then President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in 1996. The party is a member of Council for Coordinating the Reforms F ...
(reformist),
Combatant Clergy Association
The Combatant Clergy Association () is a politically active group in Iran, but not a political party in the traditional sense.
It has never been registered as a political party; however, it acts as a fragmented caucus and has actively operated ...
(conservative),
Islamic Labour Party (conservative), and
Workers' House (reformist), as well as several other parties across the whole spectrum of positions. Rafsanjani confirmed he is running for the election on 10 May after much speculation.
Reformists
*
Mehdi Karroubi, former Majlis Speaker, Secretary General of
Association of Combatant Clerics
The Association of Combatant Clerics () is an Iranian reformist Clericalism in Iran, clerical political party. It is regarded as a Left-wing politics, left-wing party within the Iranian political spectrum.
History
The Association of Combatant Cl ...
(MCS), supported by MCS,
Islamic Association of Engineers, ''
Majma'-e Gorooh-haa-ye Khat-te Emam'', and
Democracy Party of Iran.
*
Mohsen Mehralizadeh, vice-president and head of National Sports Organization, member of IIPF. Mehralizadeh has first announced that he would be running for the post on behalf of the Iranian younger generation, but not if the reformist alliance reached consensus on another candidate, but during the registration mentioned that he would remain in the race until the end.
*
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen (; born 1 April 1951 in Najafabad, Isfahan) is an Iranian politician, professor of pediatrics, and a human rights activist who is currently founder and president of the Front for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. He was a presi ...
, former Minister of Science, Research and Technology, supported by
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front (; ''Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami'') was a reformist political party in Iran. It was sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Khordad Front.
The party took 189 of the 290 seats ...
(IIPF) and
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO). Confirmed to run on 29 December 2004. IIPF, an influential reformist party in Iran, has mentioned that they won't support any presidential candidate outside the party, except Mousavi and Moeen. Since Mousavi has declined to run, they supported Moeen, whom they claimed to be the most probable candidate to win the approval of other parties in the reformist alliance. Some conservative Majlis representatives had asked for the Guardian Council's rejection of Moeen, which happened finally but was reversed after a letter by Ayatollah Khamenei. Moeen had announced that he would choose
Mohammad Reza Khatami as his First Vice President if he was elected, and had already chosen
Elaheh Koulaee, a female representative of the sixth
Islamic Assembly, as his spokeswoman.
Conservatives
*
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...
, Mayor of
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
, member of
Islamic Society of Engineers (ISE), supported by some parts of
Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (ABII). Although Ahmadinejad said he would not seek nomination on 2 February 2005, he returned to the scene later.
*
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...
, former Commander of Police (''niroo-ye entezaami''), partially supported by the Alliance of Builders. Contrary to the public announcement of
Ayatollah Khamenei, the
Supreme Leader of Iran
The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...
, that nobody knows who he will personally vote for, Ghalibaf had claimed privately that he is the person Khamenei will vote for.
*
Ali Larijani, Supreme Leader's representative in
National Security Council
A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...
and a former director of
IRIB
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; ) or Seda va Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopo ...
, who was supposed to be the major conservative candidate, as chosen by his party, the Islamic Society of Engineers, as well as the "Council for Coordinating the Revolution Forces" (''showrā-ye hamāhangi-e nirūhā-ye enǧelāb''), a council of some older and very influential leaders of the conservative alliance.
Rejected candidates
*
Reformists
Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political establishment , political or religion , religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution.
...
**
Akbar A'lami, Majlis representative of
Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
.
**
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh () is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis (Iran's legislature) from 1988–1992 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003. His career in politics s ...
, former member of
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
city council, Secretary General of
Islamic Iran Solidarity Party (''Hezb-e Hambastegi-e Irān-e Eslāmi''), and one of the hostage-takers in
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis () began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. Th ...
.
Asgharzadeh was even not supported by his own party (Islamic Iran Solidarity Party). Asgharzadeh was rejected by the Guardian Council to run as a candidate in the
2001 presidential elections, which had made him unlikely to be approved this time.
**
Mostafa Kavakebian, secretary-general of
Democracy Party (''hezb-e mardomsālāri'').
Kavakebian supported Karroubi after he himself was rejected.
*
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
**
Zabihollah Bakhshi, commonly known as ''Haji Bakhshi'', militia leader
**
Rafat Bayat, Majlis representative from
Zanjan, a member of conservative caucus in parliament. On 30 March, she stated that she would run independently, not supported by any significant party in the conservative alliance. It was assumed by some people that she would probably get rejected by the Guardian Council, because of the ''rejāl'' requirement (''see above'').
**
Reza Zavare'i
Seyyed Reżā Zavāreʾi (; 1938 – 26 August 2005) was an Iranian jurist and politician. He served as a member of the Member of Guardian Council from 1995 to 1996, and 1998 to 2004.
He was acting mayor of Tehran, deputy head of the ...
, former member of Guardian Council, invited to run by ''
Chekaad-e Daaneshjooyaan-e Mosalmaan''
*Independents
**
Nasser Hejazi, former goalkeeper of the national football team and former coach of the
Esteghlal football club. After his rejection, Hejazi supported Rafsanjanī as president.
**
Mohammad Hossein Pahlevan, known as ''Arshia'', pop singer
**
Azam Taleghani, daughter of
Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani.
**
Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi (; 26 September 1931 – 27 August 2017) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician, pharmacist, and diplomat who served as deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran), minister of foreign affairs in the Interim Go ...
, former Minister of Foreign affairs in the
Interim Government of 1979, secretary general of
Freedom Movement Party. After being rejected by the Guardian Council, Yazdi is supporting Moeen for the presidency.
*Unknown affiliation
**Ayatollah
Mohammad Sajjadi
Declinations and withdrawals
The most important withdrawal was that of
Mohsen Rezaee, one of the candidates who was approved by the Guardian Council and participated in the race until the evening of 15 June 2005, two days before the election and only a few hours before the final deadline allowed for advertisements. Rezaee mentioned he was withdrawing from the race for "the integration of the votes of the nation" and "their effectiveness". He did not endorse any candidate
Also, several people were considered possible candidates for the post, who later declined to run early in the race or at the final moments before registration. A list of the ones considered seriously in the media includes:
*
Reformists
Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political establishment , political or religion , religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution.
...
**
Safdar Hosseini
Safdar Hosseini (; born 1954) is an Iranian academic and politician, who has served in various cabinet posts. He was chairman of the National Development Fund of Iran from 2013 until 2016.
Early life and education
Hosseini was born in 1954. His ...
, Minister of Economy and Finance Affair, member of IIPF
**
Hadi Khamenei, member of
Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam, declined on 6 December 2004
**
Mohammad Reza Khatami, former Majlis Vice Speaker, Secretary General of IIPF
**
Hassan Khomeini, grandson of
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
**
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh (, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian politician, artist, architect and opposition figure who served as the 45th and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 Iranian p ...
, former Prime Minister, declined on 12 October 2004
**
Mohammad Mousavi-Khoiniha, member of MCS, declined on 21 November 2004
**
Behzad Nabavi, former Majlis Vice Speaker, member of MIRO
**
Mohammad Ali Najafi, former Minister of Education
**
Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Spokesman of Government, member of IIPF
*
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
**
Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, Speaker of
Majlis
(, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...
, he declined his activities for election and said that he will try to re-ally conservatives for election.
**
Abdollah Jasbi, President of
Islamic Azad University
The Islamic Azad University (IAU; , ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a Private university, private university system Headquarters, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of university, universities in ...
. Jasbi withdrew in favor of Rafsanjanī.
**
Mohammad Javad Larijani, Director of
IPM. He strongly endorses his brother Ali Larijani for presidency.
**
Hossein Mirmohammad-Sadeghi, former speaker of
Judiciary Branch
**
Ahmad Tavakkoli
Ahmad Tavakkoli (; born 5 March 1951) is an Iranian conservative and principlist politician, journalist. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council. Also he is currently managing-director of ''Alef'' news website and founder of ...
, Majlis representative and Director of
Majlis Research Center and former presidential candidate. Tavakkoli resigned from the race on 1 May 2005, telling that he is doing this to help minimize the diversity in the conservative camp. He is supporting Ghalibaf in the elections.
**
Ali Akbar Velayati
Ali Akbar Velayati ( ; born 24 June 1945) is an Iranian conservative politician and physician. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. Velayati is a distinguished professor at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Scien ...
, an Adviser to the
Supreme Leader
A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...
for foreign affairs, and a former
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
. Velayati was supported inside the conservative alliance by
Islamic Coalition Party
The Islamic Coalition Party (ICP; ) is a conservative liberal political party in Iran.
The ICP is the pivotal organization within Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader and is considered a lay ally of the influential Combata ...
(ICP). Valayati had confirmed that he does not accept the support of the ''Council for Coordination'' and will run independently, unless Akbar Rafsanjanī, who was the President of Iran during Velayati's ministership, runs. On 14 May, Velayati did not register to run until the official deadline, and then announced that he is supporting Rafsanjani in the elections.
*Independents
**
Shirin Ebadi, winner of
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
in 2003, declined on 2 January 2005, despite support among some independent groups and parties, which are usually called pro-
Human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
Campaign

The best financed candidate, Rafsanjani, campaigned with an entourage of bullet-proof Mercedes limousines.
While he usually did not emphasize issues in his campaign Rafsanjani did tell voters that "there is no use imposing tastes, being strict, and going backward. ... Whoever becomes president cannot work without considering the demands and conditions of society."
[Wright, Robin, ''Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East'', Penguin Press, 2008, p. 315] He also indicated a liberalizing in his views on proper Islamic dress. Where in 2002 he had said that exposing a single strand of a woman's hair from behind
hejab was "a dagger drawn toward the heart of Islam," in 2005 he described his red line as "no nudity," in a campaign meeting with Iranian youth.
Ahmadinejad used mosque networks and his personal ties to the
Revolutionary Guards and
Basij
The Basij (, lit. ''The Mobilization'') or Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (, lit. ''Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed''), is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five ...
for his campaign. In TV advertisements he was shown praying and praising veterans of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
for their sacrifices. He campaigned in an old 1977
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 is a mid-size, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive automobile manufactured and marketed by Peugeot from 1968 to 1983 over a single generation, primarily in four-door Sedan (automobile), sedan and station wagon, wagon configurations – ...
car.
[Wright, p. 316–17]
Some voters, including exiled citizens belonging to opposition political groups or
monarchists (both living outside Iran), some parts of the intellectual community living in Iran, and even a few
reformist
Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution.
Within the socialist movement, ref ...
s
boycotted the election as a symbol of not supporting the current regime and its practices. The boycotters' reasons included the massive rejection of registered candidates, that they believed that the role of the Iranian president is insignificant in the power structure and overshadowed by those of the supreme leader who is practically elected for life, and that they believed that all the candidates had already helped the regime in the oppression of its political opposition or would do so if elected. The most famous boycott leader was
Akbar Ganji, imprisoned in
Evin prison for his journalism and in a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
.
While some members of the intellectual community in Iran supported the boycott, some key figures, residing inside Iran or exiled to Europe or North America, had asked their readers and the general population to vote in the election, reasoning that not voting in the election would result in the election of one of the three conservative candidates, who were all
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
people with a background in
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
. The most famous supporters of voting in the intellectual community included
Ebrahim Nabavi,
Masoud Behnoud, and
Khashayar Deyhimi. These people were mostly supporting
Moeen as their preferred candidate who is considered to be the least aligned with Ayatollah Khamenei, but a few have also talked or written in support of Rafsanjanī or
Karroubi.
Emadeddin Baghi, the President of the Iranian Association for Supporting Prisoners' Rights and one of the boycotters, has also spoken in support of Rafsanjani and mentioned that while he still considers Rafsanjani a conservative, he prefers his traditional conservatism to Ahmadinejad's fundamentalism.
Endorsements
;First round
Opinion polls
Conduct
After the first round of the election, some people, including
Mehdi Karroubi, the pragmatic reformist candidate who ranked third in the first round but was the first when partial results were first published, have alleged that a network of
mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
s, the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
military forces, and Basij militia forces have been illegally used to generate and mobilize support for Ahmadinejad. Karroubi has explicitly alleged that
Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the
Supreme Leader
A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...
Ayatollah Khamenei, was involved. Ayatollah Khamenei then wrote to Karroubi and mentioned that these allegations are below his dignity and will result in a crisis in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, which he will not allow. As a reply, Karroubi resigned from all his political posts, including an Advisor to the Supreme Leader and a member of
Expediency Discernment Council
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of ...
, on both of which he had been installed by Khamenei. The day after, on 20 June, a few reformist morning newspapers, ''
Eghbal'', ''
Hayat-e No'', ''
Aftab-e Yazd'', and ''
Etemaad'' were stopped from distribution by the general prosecutor of Tehran,
Saeed Mortazavi, for publishing Karroubi's letter.
Akbar Rafsanjanī, the leading candidate, has also pointed to organized and unjust interventions by "guiding" the votes, and has supported Karroubi's complaint.
A suspicious election result pointed out by Western journalist Christopher de Bellaigue was a 95% voter turnout and first-place result for Ahmadinejad in the province of
South Khorasan. This despite that region's large numbers of disgruntled Sunni Muslims, and Ahmadinejad's association with "intrusive Shia
Islamism
Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism ...
."
[Christopher de Bellaigue, ''The Struggle for Iran'', New York Review of Books, 2007, p. 122]
Also, some political groups, including the reformist party
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front (; ''Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami'') was a reformist political party in Iran. It was sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Khordad Front.
The party took 189 of the 290 seats ...
, have alleged that Ahmadinejad had only ranked second because of the illegal support and advertising activities for him during the voting by the supervisors selected by the
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The constitution ...
, while the supervisors should have remained impartisan according to the election law. Also, the reformist newspaper ''
Shargh'' has pointed to an announcement by Movahhedi Kermani, the official representative of the supreme leader in Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, mentioning "vote for a person who keeps to the minimum in his advertisements and doesn't lavish", which uniquely pointed to Ahmadinejad.
Some of the controversies involve activities of the Guardian Council such as the publishing an opinion poll before the election giving Ahmadinejad front-runner status. It also announced the partial results of the election on the day after the election, putting Ahmadinejad on the second rank while he was still in the third rank in the partial statistics published by the Ministry of Interior, which led to President Khatami going to the Ministry several times and explicitly asking the council to not announce any more partial results.
Results

The
Islamic Republic
The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a s ...
government of Iran, especially the
Supreme Leader
A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...
and the higher offices, publicly considers the
turnout of the voters, which was about 64% in the first round, to resemble the support of the population for the regime, while some voters consider voting for the candidates less aligned with the supreme leader as a vote against the current practices of the regime. Comparative to other elections, there does not seem to be any major drop in number of votes caused by boycott. The turnout in the previous election, i.e. Khatami's second term, was at 67%.
[http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/News/Printable.aspx?id=87808]
The first round of the election was a very close race with minor differences in the number of votes won by each candidate which led to a run-off a week later with Ahmadinejad and ex-president
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Government of Iran, Islamic Republic, ...
participating. There were seven people running for the post out of more than a thousand initial candidates, most of whom were disqualified by the
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The constitution ...
, which is responsible for vetting by constitution for election. Rafsanjani, who had been regarded as the front-runner and had positioned himself as a centrist, was defeated by Ahmadinejad in the run-off, while reformist candidate
Mostafa Moeen
Mostafa Moeen (; born 1 April 1951 in Najafabad, Isfahan) is an Iranian politician, professor of pediatrics, and a human rights activist who is currently founder and president of the Front for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. He was a presi ...
fared poorly and finished only fifth in the first round.
After the results of the first round, many of the supporters of the boycott supported Rafsanjani, and many of the supporters of the reformist candidates, including many supporters of Moeen, are doing the same.
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front (; ''Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami'') was a reformist political party in Iran. It was sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Khordad Front.
The party took 189 of the 290 seats ...
(IIPF) and
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), as the two main parties who supported Moeen, are included, with IIPF asking for "uniting against the rise of religious
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
" and MIRO telling about the rival "''
Führer
( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...
''-istic mindset". Moeen himself has mentioned that he will not personally vote in the second round, but that his supporters "should take the danger of fascism seriously" and should not think about a boycott in the second round.
This was the first presidential runoff in the history of Iran. Before the run-off took place, it was compared to the
2002 French presidential election
Presidential elections in France, Presidential elections were held in France on 21 April 2002, with a runoff election between the top two candidates, incumbent Jacques Chirac of the Rally for the Republic and Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Ra ...
, where the splintering of the left-wing vote similarly led to a run-off between the moderate
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
and the
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Le Pen (), was a French politician, lawyer and activist. He founded the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party and served as the party's presi ...
. The comparison was made because of the unexpected votes in favor of Ahmadinejad, the very close race, and the comparability of the political standings of Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad to those of Chirac and Le Pen. But after the results for the run-off were made public, the comparison was considered void due to the loss of the moderate candidate Rafsanjani, although Ahmadinejad's opponents formed an alliance against him.
First round results by province
References
External links
Guide to Iran's presidential polls from BBC News
*
(in Persian)
ISNA report on Mousavi's declination, reported by Karroubi(in Persian)
(in Persian)
Run off results from the BBC
{{Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Presidential elections in Iran
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Presidential