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President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Emblem of Islamic Republic of Iran
Incumbent Mir-Hossein Mousavi since June 12, 2009
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Abolhassan Banisadr
Website	The President's Website

The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties, agreements etc. with other countries and international organizations; the national planning and budget and state employment affairs; appointing ministers, governors, and ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament.

Unlike many other countries, in Iran the president does not have full control over foreign policy, the armed forces, or the nuclear policy of the Iranian state, which are under the control of the Supreme Leader.

The President is elected for a four-year term by the direct vote of the people and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. The election on August 3, 2005 resulted in a victory for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The election on June 12, 2009 was reported by government authorities as a victory for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent candidate, although this is greatly disputed by supporters of rival candidates, who noted the statistical anomalies in voting reports and large-scale overvoting in the officially announced tallies.

Currently Mir Hossein Mousavi known as elected president by Iranian people.

Qualifications and election

The President of Iran is elected for a four year term in a national election by universal adult suffrage for everyone of at least 18 years of age. Candidates for the presidency must be approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians. Half of the Council's members are appointed by the Supreme Leader and are intended to preserve the values of the Islamic Republic.

According to the constitution of Iran candidates for the presidency must possess the following qualifications:

• Iranian origin;

• Iranian nationality;

• administrative capacity and resourcefulness;

• a good past record;

• trustworthiness and piety; and

• convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official madhhab of the country.

Within these guidelines the Council vetoes candidates who are deemed unacceptable. The approval process is considered to be a check on the president's power, and usually amounts to a small number of candidates being approved. In the 1997 election, for example, only four out of 238 presidential candidates were approved by the council. Western observers have routinely criticized the approvals process as a way for the Council and Supreme Leader to ensure that only conservative and like-minded Islamic fundamentalists can win office. However, the council rejects the criticism, citing approval of reformists in previous elections. The council rejects most of the candidates stating that they are not "a well-known political figure", a requirement by the current law.

The President must be elected with a simple majority of the popular vote. A runoff election may be required to achieve this. The President serves for a term of four years and is eligible for a second term.

Presidential council

According to the Iranian constitution, when the President dies or is impeached, a special provisional Presidential Council temporarily rules in his place until an election can be held.

The President automatically becomes the Head of the Council of Cultural Revolution and the Head of the Council of National Security.

List of Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Main article: List of Presidents of Iran

• 
  1. Abolhassan Banisadr
• 
  2. Mohammad Ali Rajai
• 
  4. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
• 
  5. Mohammad Khatami
• 
  6. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

See also

• Politics of Iran

• Prime Ministers of Iran

• Iranian presidential election, 2005

• Iranian presidential election, 2009

External links

• The President appointed's Office

• Iran's Presidential Office of Scientific and Industrial Studies

• Ahmadinejad's blog

References

Category:Government of Iran