Hashemi Rafsanjani
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Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی |
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| In office August 3, 1989 – August 2, 1997 |
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| Vice President | Hassan Habibi |
| Preceded by | Ali Khamenei |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Khatami |
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| Born | 1934 Nough, Iran  |
| Nationality | iranian |
| Political party | Combatant Clergy Association |
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (Persian: اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی Akbar Hāshemī Rafanjānī), Hashemi Bahramani (هاشمی بهرمانی) born on August 25, 1934, is an influential Iran ian politician. He has been the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran since 1989.
Forbes magazine listed Rafsanjani in their list of richest people in the world and has written that as the real power behind the Iranian government, he "has more or less run the Islamic Republic for the past 24 years." [1] His wealth has earned him the infamous nickname of Akbar Shah in Iran.[2]
He served as President of Iran from 1989 to 1997, losing on the second ballot to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2005 election on his attempt for a third term in office. After this, he has tried to use his position in the Expediency Council to denounce President Ahmadinejad's administration. He said he would do some privatizations and change foreign policy. However, President Ahmadinejad has noted Rafsanjani's failure to make a difference between privatization and self takeover of government-owned companies. Ahmadinejad has also commmented on the foreign policies of Rafsanjani's administration which lead to sanctions against Iran in 1995 and 1996.[3][4]
Currently, one of his sons has been accused of receiving a bribe. Analysts expect that his son will not be put on trial, however.
He was a cleric who used to charge a few dollars for a sermon before 1979. Following the revolution, he and his cohorts became rich by confiscating agricultural land, real estate and industries belonging to those who fled Iran or were executed and jailed. He is a wanted man for the Mikanos murders of Kurdish leaders outside of Iran and unable to leave Iran for that reason. He knows that the Islamic Republic will fall sooner rather than later and that is why he gambled on Mousavi and Green Movement, in the hope of gaining power and saving the regime. He has nowhere to go, a marked man, who shall receive justice one way or another.
[change] References
- ↑ Millionaire Mullahs from Forbes
- ↑ http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,360535-2,00.html
- ↑ http://www.tik.ir/display/?ID=38335&page=1 http://www.rajanews.com/News/?6881
- ↑ http://www.rajanews.com/News/?5081
[change] Other websites
- Profile: Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani at BBC News
- Profile: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at www.aljazeera.com
