Mahmoud Ahmadinejad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
محمود احمدی‌نژاد
Ahmadinejad in 2019
Member of Expediency Discernment Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 August 2013
Appointed by	Ali Khamenei
Chairman	Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Ali Movahedi-Kermani (acting) Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Sadeq Larijani
Preceded by	Hassan Rouhani
6th President of Iran
In office 3 August 2005 – 3 August 2013
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Vice President	Mohammad Reza Aref Parviz Davoodi Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei Mohammad Reza Rahimi
Preceded by	Mohammad Khatami
Succeeded by	Hassan Rouhani
Acting ministerial offices Minister of Petroleum Acting In office 16 May 2011 – 2 June 2011 President Himself Preceded by Masoud Mir-Kazemi Succeeded by Mohammad Aliabadi (acting) Minister of Intelligence Acting In office 25 July 2009 – 3 September 2009 President Himself Preceded by Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i Succeeded by Heydar Moslehi
42nd Mayor of Tehran
In office 20 May 2003 – 28 June 2005
Preceded by	Mohammad-Hossein Moghimi (acting)
Succeeded by	Ali Saeedlou (acting)
1st Governor General of Ardabil
In office 28 November 1993 – 29 October 1997
President	Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Preceded by	Province created
Succeeded by	Seyyed Hamid Tahayi
Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
In office 30 August 2012 – 3 August 2013
Preceded by	Mohamed Morsi
Succeeded by	Hassan Rouhani
Personal details
Born	Mahmoud Sabbaghian (1956-10-28) 28 October 1956 (age 68) Aradan, Imperial State of Iran
Political party	Society of Devotees (1999–2011) Islamic Society of Engineers (1988–present; inactive since 2005)
Other political affiliations	Alliance of Builders (2003–2005) Office for Strengthening Unity (1979–1980)
Spouse	Azam al-Sadat Farahi ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	3
Relatives	Davoud Ahmadinejad (brother) Parvin Ahmadinejad (sister)
Residences	Square 72, Narmak, Tehran
Alma mater	Iran University of Science and Technology (BS, PhD)
Occupation	University professor
Profession	Engineer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Islamic Republic of Iran Army
Branch/service	Revolutionary Guards
Years of service	1986–1988
Rank	None
Unit	Hamzeh Headquarters
Commands	Combat engineering Unit, 6th Special Division
Battles/wars	Iran–Iraq War Operation Fath 1
Scientific career
Institutions	Iran University of Science and Technology
Theses	Study of comprehensive transportation plan in Kurdistan (1988) Assessment of subway for passengers transportation (A case study of Tehran) (1997)
Doctoral advisor	Hamid Behbahani
Other academic advisors	Ali Mansour Khaki Gholamreza Shirazian Jalil Shahi

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian politician. He served as the sixth President of Iran from 2005 to 2013. Before that, he was the Mayor of Tehran, Iran's capital city, from 2003 to 2005. He is known for his strong views and for supporting Iran's nuclear program. Today, he is a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started as an engineer and teacher. He grew up in a family that was not wealthy. After the Iranian Revolution, he became involved in politics. He was appointed as a provincial governor in 1993. Later, in 2003, he was chosen to be the mayor of Tehran. As mayor, he made some changes to the city's policies. In 2005, he ran for president and won, becoming the leader of Iran.

During his time as president, Ahmadinejad was a well-known figure both in Iran and around the world. He faced some disagreements at home about his economic plans. Outside Iran, he had disagreements with countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He introduced a plan to save fuel in Iran and supported the country's nuclear energy efforts. His re-election in 2009 led to protests in Iran and discussions with other countries.

During his second term, Ahmadinejad faced challenges from other political groups. He also had disagreements with Iran's top leader, Ali Khamenei. In 2012, he was asked to answer questions from the Iranian parliament about his presidency. The Iranian constitution allows a president to serve only two terms. In 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected as the next president.

Early Life and Education

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born on 28 October 1956. His birthplace was a village called Aradan, Iran, in Semnan province. His mother, Khanom, was believed to be a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His father, Ahmad, was a grocer and barber. He was a religious Shia Muslim and taught the Quran.

When Mahmoud was one year old, his family moved to Tehran. In 1960, his father changed their family name from "Sabbaghian" to Ahmadinejad. This was to avoid any difficulties when they moved to the city. The name "Sabbaghian" means "thread painter," which was a common job in the carpet industry. The name "Ahmadinejad" means "the lineage of Ahmad," which was his father's name.

In 1976, Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance exam. He did very well and joined the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) in Tehran. He studied civil engineering there. Later, in 1997, he earned his doctorate degree in transportation engineering and planning from the same university. This was when he was the mayor of Ardabil Province.

Administrative and Academic Work

Not much is publicly known about Ahmadinejad's life in the 1980s. However, it is known that he held several administrative jobs. These jobs were in the province of West Azerbaijan, Iran.

Many reports say that Ahmadinejad joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He served in their intelligence and security section. This was after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Iran. However, one of his advisors said that he was never an official member of the Revolutionary Guards. Instead, he was a volunteer.

Ahmadinejad continued his studies at his university in 1986. He became a lecturer there in 1989. In 1997, he received his doctorate degree. His field of study was civil engineering and traffic transportation planning.

Early Political Career

After the Islamic Revolution, Ahmadinejad became part of the Office for Strengthening Unity. This group worked to prevent students from joining certain militant organizations.

Ahmadinejad's first political roles were as an unelected governor. He served in Maku and Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province during the 1980s. He also worked as an advisor to the governor general of Kurdistan province for two years. While studying for his doctorate in Tehran, he was appointed governor general of the new Ardabil Province. He held this position from 1993 until 1997. After that, he went back to teaching.

Mayor of Tehran (2003–2005)

Ahmadinejad in 2003

In 2003, conservative candidates were elected to the City Council of Tehran. The Council then chose Ahmadinejad to be the Mayor of Tehran.

As mayor, he changed some policies that had been put in place by earlier mayors. He focused on religious activities at cultural centers. He also suggested that people who died in the Iran–Iraq War be buried in major city squares. He worked to improve the city's traffic system. He also focused on charity, like giving free soup to people in need.

After he was elected president, Ahmadinejad resigned as Mayor of Tehran on 28 June 2005. He had been mayor for two years. In 2005, he was one of 65 finalists for the "World Mayor" award. He was a strong candidate, but his resignation made him unable to win.

Presidency (2005–2013)

2005 Presidential Campaign

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a press conference, 21 June 2005

Ahmadinejad was not very well known when he started his presidential campaign. He had never run for office before. He had been mayor of Tehran for only two years, and he was appointed, not elected. He was supported by a group called the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran. He also had support from Iran's top leader, Ali Khamenei.

Ahmadinejad did not share many specific plans for his presidency. This might have been to attract different groups of voters. His campaign slogan was: "It's possible and we can do it."

During his campaign, he spoke to ordinary people. He talked about his own simple life. He said he wanted to create a "good government for the people of the world" in Iran. One of his goals was to "put the petroleum income on people's tables." This meant he wanted to share Iran's oil money with poorer families.

Ahmadinejad was the only candidate who spoke against future relations with the United States. He said the United Nations was "one-sided" against the Muslim world. He also said it was not fair for only a few countries to have veto power in the United Nations Security Council. He defended Iran's nuclear program. He said that some powerful countries were trying to stop Iran's progress.

In his second round of campaigning, he spoke about creating a "world-wide government." He also talked about improving foreign relations through trade. He wanted stronger ties with Iran's neighbors. He suggested ending visa requirements between countries in the region. He believed people should be able to travel freely.

Ahmadinejad looked up to Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, a respected religious leader. Mesbah Yazdi and his group strongly supported Ahmadinejad's 2005 campaign.

2005 Presidential Election

Ahmadinejad won 62% of the votes in the final election against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, officially approved his presidency on 3 August 2005. Ahmadinejad showed his loyalty by kissing Khamenei's hand during the ceremony.

After Ahmadinejad became president, some news outlets in Western countries claimed he was involved in the Iran hostage crisis. This claim was denied by the Iranian government and an American investigation.

2009 Presidential Election and Protests

On 23 August 2008, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said he saw Ahmadinejad as president for the next five years. This was seen as a sign of support for Ahmadinejad's re-election. The election took place on 12 June 2009. Ahmadinejad won with 24,527,516 votes, which was 62.63%. Mir-Hossein Mousavi came in second.

The results of the election caused debate. Both Mousavi and Ahmadinejad's supporters believed there were problems with the voting. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei officially supported Ahmadinejad as president on 3 August 2009. Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term on 5 August 2009. Iran's Constitution says a president can only serve two terms.

Some important Iranian political figures did not attend the swearing-in ceremony. These included former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Opposition groups asked people to protest on the day of the ceremony. On inauguration day, police were present outside parliament. After taking his oath, Ahmadinejad said he would "protect the official faith, the system of the Islamic revolution and the constitution." Some Western countries did not send the usual congratulatory letters.

2012 Parliamentary Elections

Ahmadinejad's political group did not do well in the March/May 2012 parliamentary elections. Allies of Ayatollah Khamenei won about three-quarters of the parliament's 290 seats. Ahmadinejad's supporters won far fewer seats.

After Presidency (2013–Present)

Ahmadinejad in his presidential museum

Ahmadinejad left his presidential office on 3 August 2013. He returned to his private home in Narmak.

In an interview, Ahmadinejad said he would go back to the university and stop being involved in politics. However, he later said he might stay involved by starting a new political group. In August 2013, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Ahmadinejad as a member of the Expediency Council. In 2015, some of Ahmadinejad's former cabinet members started a new political party.

Presidential Elections (2017, 2021, 2024)

There were rumors that Ahmadinejad would run for president again in 2017. He had been mostly out of the public eye since leaving office. However, his strong views were still popular with some groups in Iran. In September 2016, it was rumored that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei advised Ahmadinejad not to run. Khamenei confirmed this news, saying it was advice, not an order. The next day, Ahmadinejad officially announced he would not run in the 2017 election. However, he later registered as a candidate on 12 April 2017. He was then disqualified by the Guardian Council on 20 April 2017. This meant he could not run for a third term.

Ahmadinejad tried to register again for the 2021 presidential election. He was rejected again by the Guardian Council. He also registered as a candidate for the 2024 Iranian presidential election, but was again disqualified.

2017–18 Iranian Protests

During the 2017–2018 Iranian protests, Ahmadinejad criticized the government of Iran. He also criticized Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Political Groups

Ahmadinejad was an active member of the Islamic Society of Engineers until 2005. He is still a member but has not been active since 2005. He was also a founder of the Society of Devotees of the Islamic Revolution, but he left that group in 2011.

Since 2005, Ahmadinejad has said he is not part of any specific political party. He even said he was against political parties. However, he was supported by conservative groups. A report in 2009 described Ahmadinejad as a "principlist." This means he bases his politics on Islamic and revolutionary principles.

Electoral History

Ahmadinejad casting his vote in 2016 elections

Year	Election	Votes	%	Rank	Notes
1999	City Council of Tehran				Lost
2000	Parliament	280,046	9.55	68th	Lost
2005	President	5,711,696	19.43	2nd	Went to run-off
	President run off	17,284,782	61.69	1st	Won
2009	President	24,527,516	62.63	1st	Won
2017	President	N/A			Disqualified
2021	President	N/A			Disqualified
2024	President	N/A			Disqualified

Personal Life

Ahmadinejad is married and has one daughter and two sons. His oldest son married a daughter of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei in 2008.

Many of Ahmadinejad's supporters see him as a simple person who lives a modest life. When he became president, he wanted to keep living in his family's old house in Tehran. However, his security advisors insisted he move. He sent the old Persian carpets from the Presidential palace to a museum. Instead, he chose to use less expensive carpets. He is also said to have preferred a cargo plane over the VIP presidential plane. When he became president, he held his first cabinet meeting at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, which was seen as a very religious act. He also used to set an extra place for the 12th Imam at his weekly cabinet meetings.

See also

In Spanish: Mahmud Ahmadineyad para niños

• Politics of Iran
• Electoral history of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad