4/29/2005
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is one of the most influential figures in the Islamic republic.
It is widely believed the Rafsanjani moved closer to the conservative camp in Iran since the election of the current reformist President, Mohamed Khatami.
Rafsanjani – president from 1989 to 1997 – is currently deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, which appoints Iran’s supreme leader, the highest political and religious authority in the country.
He also heads the powerful Expediency Council, which mediates in disputes between the Majlis, Iran’s parliament and the Guardian Council, which can block legislation.
Rafsanjani is also one of the most trusted advisers of supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic of Iran.
He became one of the most powerful figures soon after the 1979 revolution when he became a co-founder of the Islamic Republican Party, which had a key role in Iranian politics until it dissolved in 1987 following internal conflicts over policy.
Rafsanjani was parliament speaker from 1980-89. In 1988, the last year of the Iran-Iraq war, he was appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini as acting commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
It is also believed that he was the main influence behind Ayatollah Khomeini's acceptance of the UN Security Council resolution which ended the Iraq-Iran war.
As president, Rafsanjani tried to encourage a rapprochement with the West and re-establish Iran as a regional power.
He also tried to promote better job opportunities for Iranian women. His daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, is a known supporter of women’s rights.
Since the U.S. launched its war against Iraq in 2003, Rafsanjani used his speeches to condemn the U.S. “plots” in the Middle East.
"Anyone who stretches out their hands towards Iran will have those hands cut off," he said in one speech.
In April 2005, Rafsanjani announced that he will stand in the country’s presidential elections, due on June 17.
“The issue of the presidency is my current preoccupation and although I would like somebody else to take this responsibility, I think I should take this bitter medicine,” he said.
Rafsanjani’s broad political support and reputation make him a strong candidate to replace outgoing cleric Mohamed Khatami, according to political analysts.
President Mohammad Khatami will step down in June after serving his second consecutive presidential term and cannot stand again.
The Iranian constitution bans presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms, meaning Rafsanjani can stand in the next elections.