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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Persian: محمدباقر قالیباف, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian conservative politician, former military officer, and current Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He held office as the Mayor of Tehran from 2005 to 2017. Ghalibaf was formerly Iran's Chief of police from 2000 to 2005 and commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Air Force from 1997 to 2000.

Sardar
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
محمدباقر قالیباف
Ghalibaf in 2024
6th Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 May 2020
Deputy
First
Second
Preceded byAli Larijani
Member of the Parliament of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 May 2024
ConstituencyTehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis
Majority447,905 (28.53%)
In office
27 May 2020 – 26 May 2024
ConstituencyTehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis
Majority1,265,287 (68.69%)
Member of Expediency Discernment Council
In office
14 August 2017 – 28 May 2020
Appointed byAli Khamenei
Chairman
Succeeded byAli Larijani
43rd Mayor of Tehran
In office
14 September 2005[1] – 27 August 2017
DeputyIssa Sharifi[2]
Preceded byMahmoud Ahmadinejad
Succeeded byMohammad-Ali Najafi
Head of the Central Headquarters for Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling
In office
8 June 2004 – 1 September 2005
PresidentMohammad Khatami
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMohammad Reza Naqdi
Personal details
Born (1961-08-23) 23 August 1961 (age 63)
Torqabeh, Iran[3]
Political partyProgress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran (Spiritual leader)[4]
Other political
affiliations
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Spouse
Zahra-Sadat Moshir-Estekhareh
​
​
(m. 1982)​
ChildrenElias, Eshaq, Maryam[5]
Alma mater
Awards
ReligionShia Islam
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
AllegianceIran
Branch/serviceRevolutionary Guards
Years of service1981–2000
RankBrigadier general
Commands
Battles/wars
Police career
ServiceLaw Enforcement Force
Service years2000–2005
RankBrigadier general
This article contains Persian text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

He holds a Ph.D. in political geography from Tarbiat Modares University. He is also a pilot, certified to fly certain Airbus aircraft. He began his military career during the Iran–Iraq War in 1980. He became chief commander of the Imam Reza Brigade in 1982 and was chief commander of Nasr Division from 1983 to 1984. After the end of the war, he became Managing-Director of Khatam al-Anbia, an engineering firm controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was appointed as commander of the IRGC Air Force in 1996 by Ali Khamenei. Four years later, he became chief of the Iranian Police Forces after the previous commander was dismissed following the 1999 student protests. He was also appointed as Representative of President Mohammad Khatami during a campaign to combat smuggling in 2002. In September 2005, he was elected as Tehran's mayor by the City Council of Tehran. He is also a professor at the University of Tehran.[6]

Ghalibaf is often regarded a perennial candidate in the presidential elections.[7] He was a candidate in the 2013 presidential election but lost to Hassan Rouhani, in second place with 6,077,292 of the votes. He was also a candidate in the 2005 presidential election. He announced his run for a third time in the 2017 election. However, he withdrew on 15 May 2017 in favor of Ebrahim Raisi's candidacy. He was a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

In the 2020 Iranian legislative election, the Principlists regained the majority in the legislature,[8] and Ghalibaf was elected as the new Speaker of Iran Parliament.[9]

Personal life

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Ghalibaf was born on 23 August 1961 in Torqabeh,[10] near Mashhad, in the diverse province of Razavi Khorasan,[11] to a Kurdish father Hossein Ghalibaf and a Persian mother Kheirolnessa Boujmehrani.[11][12]

Ghalibaf married Zahra Sadat Moshir in 1982 when he was twenty two years old. Moshir (born 1968) joined her husband as an adviser and head of women's affairs in the Municipality of Tehran.[13][14]

Education

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Ghalibaf obtained bachelor in human geography from Tehran University, master in human geography from Islamic Azad University and PhD in political geography from Tarbiat Modares University.[15]

Military career

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At the age of 19, he was one of the commanders of the defense forces during the Iran–Iraq War. Shortly afterwards he was named commander of the Rasulollah division. By the time he was twenty-two, he was already commander of the Nasr Troops. After the war he was selected as Deputy Commander of the Resistance Force and Basij Troops under General Afshar. Ghalibaf received the degree of Major General in 1996 after he had completed a master's degree in geopolitics. In 1998, when Mohsen Rezaei retired and Yahya Rahim Safavi took over as IRGC's new commander-in-chief, he was named Commander of Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Ghalibaf became one of the senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in later years.[16] In 1984, he was appointed head of the Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters, which is the engineering arm of the IRGC. Under his management, the headquarters launched a 165-kilometer railway connecting Mashhad to Sarakhs.[citation needed]

As commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force during the 1999 student protests, Ghalibaf was one of the 24 IRGC commanders who sent a threatening letter to the reformist president Mohammad Khatami stating that if the protests were allowed to continue, they would take matters into their own hands.[16]

Police career

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Ghalibaf in 2004 in Amin Police Academy

Following the 1999 protests, he was appointed as chief of the Iranian Police Forces by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, to succeed General Hedayat Lotfian who was removed from his office during the violence. After becoming chief of police, Ghalibaf initiated some reforms in the forces, including dropping all lawsuits against newspapers, modernization of police equipment and the Police 110 project, which aimed to make the police more accessible to the general public.[3]

On 5 April 2005, Ghalibaf submitted his resignation from the military positions (including the police forces) due to his intention to run for the presidency of Iran.

Mayor of Tehran

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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

When Ghalibaf lost the 2005 election, he was proposed as Mayor of Tehran along with Mohammad Aliabadi and Mohammad-Ali Najafi. On 4 September 2005, he was elected as the next Mayor by the City Council of Tehran to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who left the office after being elected president.[16] He received 8 out of 15 votes of the council. He was reelected for a second term on 2007 after receiving 12 votes with no opponent.

According to Bloomberg, he has used his position as mayor "to foster a reputation as a politician who gets things done."[17] Ghalibaf seek for reelection as Mayor of Tehran as the Conservative's choice in the 2013 local elections. His rivals were Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, Masoumeh Ebtekar, Ali Nikzad and Mohsen Mehralizadeh. He was elected as Mayor for another term on 8 September 2013 after defeating Hashemi in a runoff with 51.6% of the votes.[18][19]

Soleimani friendship

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Qalibaf, who commanded the 5th Nasr Division and then the elite 25th Karbala Division of the IRGC in the Iran-Iraq War, developed a long friendship with the then up-and-coming commander of the 41st Tharallah Division, General Qasem Soleimani. In the words of Arash Azizi:

During the war years, the commanders who had distinguished themselves most, had a regional base and a talent for organizing the men of their provinces for the national war effort. Three such men became close comrades and helped build a web of influence that strengthened their respective positions: Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Ahmad Kazemi, and Qassem Soleimani. When the war ended, they were respectively 27, 29, and 32 years old. They had respectively led IRGC divisions in Khorasan, Isfahan, and Kerman provinces, three of the biggest territorial units in the country which together accounted for much of the country’s population.[20]

In the 2013 Iranian presidential election Soleimani reportedly voted for Qalibaf, who represented IRGC veterans' interests, against moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani, who eventually won.[20]

Presidential campaigns

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2005 presidential election

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Ghalibaf was a candidate in the Iranian presidential election of 2005,[21] and was being considered to be supported by some factions of the conservative alliance because of his popularity with both wings. However, in the final days before the election, the major support went to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ghalibaf came fourth in the election.[21] He made a populist appeal during the campaigns.[22]

On 13 October 2008, he announced his support for dialogue with the United States as suggested by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. According to Ghalibaf, "the world community, the Iranian society and the US society would benefit" from such talks.[23]

2013 presidential election

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Ghalibaf did not run for presidency in the elections in 2009.[21] His adviser announced that he would take part in the presidential elections in June 2013 and he officially announced this on 16 July 2012.[21] In his speech during the announcement of his candidacy, he said:

“That's two things I still stand on and would seriously consider, first: the Constitution and second: respect the prisoners and detainees."

 
Ghalibaf speech in a campaign in Mashhad

He also set Love and Sacrifice and Jihadi Change as his official slogans. His candidacy was approved by the Guardian Council on 21 May 2013 along with seven other candidates. He was one of the opponents of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's candidacy and says it was better that Rafsanjani not enter the race, as he had served two terms before. He and two other candidates, Ali Akbar Velayati and Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, formed a coalition called "2+1". He was endorsed by former candidates, Alireza Ali Ahmadi and Sadeq Vaeez Zadeh. Ali Larijani, the current chairman of parliament, also supported Ghalibaf in the election.

According to the Guardian, his moderating streak as Tehran's mayor is evident throughout Ghalibaf's political efforts.[24] Ghalibaf received 6,077,292 votes (16.55%), putting him in second place behind winner Hassan Rouhani, who was elected as the new president.[25] Hours after the announcement of the results, Ghalibaf published a statement congratulating Hassan Rouhani on his election as President of Iran and conceding.

2017 presidential election

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Main article: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 2017 presidential campaign

2024 presidential election

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Ghalibaf's candidacy for the 2024 Iranian presidential election was approved by the guardian council in June 2024.[26]

Senior IRGC commanders, including Major General Mohsen Rezaee, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani and Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan supported Ghalibaf's presidential bid.[27]

Electoral history

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Main article: Electoral history of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Year Election Votes % Rank Notes
2005 President 4,095,827 13.93 4th Lost
2013 President   6,077,292   16.56 2nd Lost
2017 President – Withdrew
2020 Parliament 1,265,287 68.69 1st Won
2024 Parliament   447,905   28.53 4th Won
2024 President   3,383,340   13.79 3rd Lost

Party affiliation

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Ghalibaf is regarded the spiritual leader behind Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran[4] and Iranian Islamic Freedom Party.[28] He is a member of the political alliance Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces.[29]

Controversies and scandals

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Allegations of corruption

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Yas Holding Company case

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Ghalibaf has been accused of using his influence as a former IRGC commander to cover up corruption scandals that took place in Tehran during his term as mayor. One such scandal, which took place in 2017, involved the Yas Holding Company, a company whose board is partially made up of IRGC generals. The company was accused of embezzling an estimated 13 trillion tomans (US$3 billion) from Tehran Municipality for overpriced infrastructure projects built by construction companies linked to the IRGC during Ghalibaf's mayorship.[30] In early 2022, a leaked audio recording was published by Radio Farda, which purported to show former IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari and Brigadier General Sadegh Zolghadr-Nia discussing the Yas Holding Company case, mentioning Ghalibaf's efforts to cover up the scandal by using his connections to the IRGC, by enlisting the support of Hossein Taeb, the head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization.[31][32][33]

"LayetteGate" and luxury apartments in Istanbul

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In April 2022, photos were published on Twitter that showed Ghalibaf's wife, Zahra Sadat Moshirand, and members of Ghalibaf's family at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, returning from a luxury shopping trip in Turkey with 20 pieces of luggage, which were said to be a layette for their newborn child.[34] The scandal, dubbed LayetteGate or SismuniGate by Iranian Twitter users, led to calls for him to step down as speaker of Parliament, with critics accusing Ghalibaf of being out of touch for his family shopping overseas during an economic crisis,[35] and hypocrisy, pointing to comments made during his 2017 presidential campaign, where he criticized a former minister for traveling to Italy to purchase baby clothes.[36][37] The criticism of Ghalibaf's family escalated when further allegations were made by an Iranian journalist based in Turkey that Ghalibaf's wife, daughter and son-in-law had purchased two luxury apartments in Istanbul worth 400 billion rials (US$1.6 million).[38][39]

Another scandal concerned Ghalibaf's son, Eshagh Ghalibaf, who had made "repeated enquiries" to obtain Canadian permanent residency. When this came to light Iranians joined a petition asking the Canadian government not to grant the younger Ghalibaf a visa.[40] There are reports that his son claimed to have $150,000 in funds available to support his application.[41] In February 2024, Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller wrote on X: "On Feb. 6th, the permanent residency application of Eshagh Ghalibaf, the son of Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was refused. The Iranian regime has engaged in acts of terrorism and systemic human rights violations. We stand with the people of Iran."[40]

All these scandals however, did not stop Ghalibaf running for parliamentary election in 2024 and staying as speaker of the house in Islamic Republic's parliament.

Accolades

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References

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  1. ^ "Mayor of Tehran appointed by Minister of Interior" (in Persian). Iranian Students News Agency. 14 September 2005.
  2. ^ "Tehran Former Deputy Mayor Arrested On Financial Charges", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 5 September 2017, retrieved 1 December 2017
  3. ^ a b "The Paradoxical Politician", Iranian Diplomacy, 18 August 2010, retrieved 10 May 2017
  4. ^ a b "Will Hassan Rouhani get a second term?", The Daily Star, 16 May 2017, retrieved 1 June 2017
  5. ^ "تمام اطلاعات خانوادگی کاندیداهای ریاست جمهوری یازدهم". ISNA. 13 January 2014.
  6. ^ Members of the Tehran University. geography.ut.ac.ir
  7. ^ Henry Johnson (1 July 2016), "Iranians Are Mocking Tehran's Mayor for Installing Anti-American Billboards", Foreign Policy, retrieved 26 March 2015
  8. ^ "Iran conservatives prevail in polls marked by low turnout".
  9. ^ "Qalibaf Elected as New Speaker of Iran's Parliament - Iran Front Page". 28 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Life (زندگی)". Official Website (in Persian). Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  11. ^ a b "Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf – Mayor of Tehran". City Mayors. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  12. ^ Scott Macleod; Nahid Siamdoust (13 August 2008). "Mohammed-Baqer Qalibaf: The Man to See". Time. Tehran. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  13. ^ همسرانی‌که برای‌پیروزی نامزدهای انتخابات می‌جنگند. mehrnews.com
  14. ^ همسران نامزدها به چه کاری مشغول هستند؟ Archived 14 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Farsnews.com. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Biography of the 6th President of the Islamic Parliament of Iran". Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Kazemzadeh, Masoud (2007). "Ahmadinejad's Foreign Policy". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 27 (2): 423–449. doi:10.1215/1089201x-2007-015. S2CID 144395765. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  17. ^ Defying Iran Sanctions Propels Tehran Mayor Before Vote| By Ladane Nasseri | bloomberg.com| 4 February 2013
  18. ^ Ghalibaf reelected as Mayor of Tehran. tabnak.ir
  19. ^ Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf becomes Tehran's Mayor. Khabaronline.ir. Retrieved on 25 October 2015.
  20. ^ a b "The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions 9781786079459". dokumen.pub. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d "Tehran Mayor to Run in Presidential Election". Fars News Agency. Tehran. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  22. ^ Bill Samii (6 June 2005), Iran Report, vol. 8, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, retrieved 28 December 2016
  23. ^ "Tehran mayor welcomes Obama's call for talks". Daily Star. Agence France-Presse. 18 October 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  24. ^ Iran election: why Tehran mayor's popularity may harm his chances. Guardian. Retrieved on 25 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Hassan Rouhani leads Iran presidential election vote count". BBC News. 15 June 2013.
  26. ^ "Iran election: Hardliners dominate presidential candidates". BBC News. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Institute for the Study of War".
  28. ^ Rohollah Faghihi (9 September 2015), "Tehran's ever-ambitious mayor", Al-Monitor, retrieved 1 June 2017
  29. ^ "How will Iran's Six Presidential Candidates Campaign", Iranian Diplomacy, 24 April 2017, retrieved 24 April 2017
  30. ^ "Exclusive: Documents Show Guards Took Over Lands in Tehran by Force". iranwire.com. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Iran's IRGC confirms leaked audio of former head discussing corruption - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Leaked Recording Reveals IRGC Commanders' Squabbles Over Embezzled Cash from Tehran". iranwire.com. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  33. ^ فردا, رادیو (7 March 2022). "افشای جلسه محرمانه سرلشکر جعفری درباره فساد و روابط مافیایی در بالاترین سطوح سپاه". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  34. ^ Ashari, Vahid (20 April 2022). "وحید اشتری". Twitter (in Persian). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  35. ^ "Iran parliament speaker in hot water over family's trip to Turkey - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  36. ^ Esfandiari, Golnaz. "'Lies And Hypocrisy': Iran's Parliament Speaker Under Fire Over Family's Reported Shopping Spree In Turkey". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Foreign Shopping Trip Scandal Prompts Calls For Iran Speaker To Resign". Iran International. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Iran Speaker Scandal Expands To Alleged Apartment Purchases". Iran International. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  39. ^ Miresmaeili, Amirhossein (21 April 2022). "Amirhossein Miresmaeili on Twitter: اطلاع دقیق پیدا کردم که همسر، فرزند و داماد محمدباقر قالیباف در سفر به استانبول ۲ واحد آپارتمان به مبلغ ۴۰ میلیارد تومن در مجتمع لوکس "اسکای‌لند" در محله ماسلاک خریدن. اسکای‌لند که روبروی جنگل‌های بلگراد و کنار ورزشگاه گالاتاسرایه، جزو گرون‌ترین مجتمع‌های استانبوله". Twitter (in Persian). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Canadian Visa Bid Exposes Wealth Of Iran Parliament Speaker's Son". Iran International.
  41. ^ "The children of Iran's revolution still want to go West". The Economist. 6 June 2024. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  42. ^ Tann vom Hove (14 October 2008), "Helen Zille, Mayor of Cape Town, wins the 2008 World Mayor Prize", World Mayor, retrieved 1 August 2017
  43. ^ Jonna McKone (25 January 2011), "2011 Sustainable Transport Award: Tehran Boasts Major Achievements", The City Fix, World Resources Institute, retrieved 1 August 2017
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Military offices
Preceded by
Morteza Ghorbani
 Commander of the 5th Nasr Division
1983–1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Morteza Ghorbani
 Commander of the 25th Karbala Division
1988–1994 		Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
Mohammad Vafayi
 Commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters
1994–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force
1997–2000 		Succeeded by
Police appointments
Preceded by Commander of the Law Enforcement Force
2000–2005 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded byas Minister of Interior Commissioner of the President of Iran
Head of the Headquarters for Fighting the Smuggling of Goods and Currency
2004–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Tehran
2005–2017 		Succeeded by
Assembly seats
Preceded by Speaker of Parliament of Iran
2020–present 		Incumbent
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