Iran hardliner becomes president

BBC:

3 August 2005

Iran's new ultra-conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been confirmed in office, following his surprise election victory in July.

Mr Ahmadinejad, 49, was endorsed as head of state by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The former mayor of Tehran succeeds reformist Mohammad Khatami, who leaves office after eight years in power.

Mr Ahmadinejad's first challenge will be a row with the US and European Union over Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran announced this week it was resuming nuclear activities, prompting warnings from leading EU countries.

Iran says it has a right to a peaceful nuclear programme. The US believes it is seeking nuclear weapons.

'Tehran's hero'

The confirmation ceremony took place on Wednesday morning local time. On Saturday, Mr Ahmadinejad will take the oath of office in parliament. Mr Ahmadinejad was a little-known figure on the international stage before the election, the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says.

Few thought he was a frontrunner, our correspondent says, but he won in a run-off by a huge margin of 10m votes.

Mr Ahmadinejad is a former Revolutionary Guard and was most recently the mayor of Tehran.

While running the capital, he concentrated his efforts on the poorer areas of south Tehran where he is viewed as a local hero for demolishing slums and building sports centres and parks in their place, our correspondent says.

While mayor, he introduced a weekly open day for the public to solve their problems quickly, cutting through the red tape.

He also started a project where top local council officials would, each week, visit one family who had lost sons fighting in the Iran-Iraq war and offer condolences and assistance.

Allegations

But since winning the elections, Mr Ahmadinejad has been plagued by stories that he has a shady past, our correspondent says.

First, he was accused of being one of the students who took US diplomats hostage after the Islamic revolution - something he has denied, as have known student leaders of the time.

Mr Ahmadinejad then faced allegations that he was involved in the killing of a Kurdish opposition leader in Vienna.

His supporters say this is part of a smear campaign against the president-elect orchestrated by the west.

Khatami's record

The outgoing Mr Khatami said in his final speech to parliament that Iran's good relations with its neighbours and the improvement of its relations with the world had enhanced the country's security.

But BBC's Iranian affairs analyst Sadeq Saba says opinion is divided over his record in office.

Many Iranians say he has failed to push reforms - something Mr Khatami blames on strong opposition from hardliners.

But our analyst says whatever view one takes about Mr Khatami's record, there is no doubt that during his presidency Iranians have enjoyed a kind of openness, unparalleled in the Islamic world.

People - especially women - have become more aware of their rights as citizens, and this is perhaps Mr Khatami's lasting legacy.