Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
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Akbar Hashemi Bahramani (Persian: اکبر هاشمی بهرمانی), also known as Hashemi Rafsanjani (هاشمی رفسنجانی), born August 25, 1934, is one of the most influential Iranian politicians, the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, and a leading candidate in the 2005 Iranian presidential election.
Political life
Rafsanjani came in first in the first round of the Iranian presidential election of June 17, 2005 with 21% of the votes cast, and will face ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad in a second round on June 24. His candidacy was only announced after a long and controversial decision that finally led to him deciding to run as late as May 10.
Hashemi 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.
Rafsanjani was President of Iran from August 17, 1989 to 1997, and as of 2005, the only president of Iran who has stepped down willingly: Abolhassan Banisadr was successfully impeached, Mohammad Ali Rajai was assassinated, Ali Khamenei was promoted to Supreme Leader, and Mohammad Khatami is still serving. Rafsanjani is considered the most probable candidate to succeed Khatami in the next Presidential election.
Rafsanjani was also the first speaker for the Iranian Parliament since the beginning of the Islamic Republic until 1989. 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".
During a sermon at a Friday prayer in 2001, he suggested that just one nuclear bomb could solve the problem of Israel's threatening the region with its own nuclear arsenal.[1] (http://nytimes.com/2005/05/25/international/middleeast/25rafsanjani.html?pagewanted=2)
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 Ardabili.
Personal life
From a marriage in 1958, Rafsanjani has three sons Mohsen, Mehdi, and Yasser (who was named after Yasser Arafat [2] (http://www.webneveshteha.com/weblog/?id=1100434755)), 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 (woman).
Rafsanjani has authored a few books, most importantly including a book on Amir Kabir titled Amir Kabir, the Hero of Fighting against Imeperialism.
Rafsanjani is called an Ayatollah by some people (including the Hamshahri newspaper), while called a Hojjat ol-Eslam by others.
External link
- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Official Website (http://www.hashemirafsanjani.ir/)
- ISNA interview with Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani about the Rafsanjani family (http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-541466) (in Persian)