Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
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| Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | |
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57th Mayor of Tehran
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
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| Born | August 23, 1961 Torghabeh, Mashhad, Iran  |
| Alma mater | Tarbiat Modares University |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | |
|---|---|
| August 23, 1961 | |
| Place of birth | Torghabeh, Mashhad, Iran |
| Allegiance | AGIR |
| Years of service | 1981 - 2005 |
| Commands held | Nasr Troops Deputy Commander of the Resistance Force and Basij Troops |
| Battles/wars | Iran-Iraq War |
| Other work | Mayor of Tehran |
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Persian: محمدباقر قالیباف, born September 23, 1961 in Torghabeh, near Mashhad [1]) is the Mayor of Tehran. He was born from a Khorasani-Kurdish father and a Persian mother.[citation needed]
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[edit] Military career
At the age of 19 he was one of the commanders of the defense forces against the Iraqi invasion of Iran. shortly afterwards he was named commander of the Rasulolah(?) division (one of the most successful divisions in that war). with 22 he was already commander of the Nasr Troops a position that in the West would be Lead by at least a Major General. After the war he was selected as Deputy Commander of the Resistance Force and Basij Troops (with 400.000 men and over 12.000.000 reservists it is the first instance in defening Iran in case of a war) under General Afshar. He received the degree of a Major Genral in 1996 after he had uccessfully made an MA degree in Geo-Politics. In 1998 when Khatami was elected President, Commanding-General Rezaie (head of the AGIR/IRGC) retired and Commanding-General Safavi took over he was named Commander of AFAGIR (Air Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution/ Republic).He is Quoted saing: "on that night I went home and told my Family about my new Position. My son laughed and said so they have named someone who cant even fly, as Commander of an Air Force. I told him don't bother I'll soon fly Jumbo Jets, and now I am a Co-Pilot of Jumbos".
In 2001, he earned a Ph.D. in Geo-Politics from Tarbiat Modares University.
[edit] Police career
Ghalibaf was selected by the Supreme Leader of IRI, Ali Khamenei to succeed General Hedayat Lotfian as Chief of the Police Forces of the IRI following the Iran student protests, July 1999.
After becoming Chief of the Police Forces of the IRI, Ghalibaf made some reforms in the forces including the Police 110 project who's goal was to make the police more accessible to the general public. He was also successful in handling student protests in 2003 with his deputy Morteza Talaei, Chief of the Police Forces of Tehran and helped end the protests without any loss of life or serious damage.
He was also the special representative of President of IRI, Mohammad Khatami in the Anti-Traffic Committee.
On April 5, 2005 Ghalibaf submitted his resignation from the military positions (including the Police Forces) do to his purpose to run for the presidency of the Islamic Republic; it was accepted by commander-in-Head Supreme Leader of IRI, Ali Khamenei.
[edit] Presidential campaign
Ghalibaf was a candidate in the Iranian presidential election of 2005, and was being considered to be supported by the some factions of the conservatives alliance because of his popularity with both wings. But in the final days before the election, major support went to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
It has also been reported that Ghalibaf has claimed in a private party that he has the support of Supreme Leader of IRI, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for the presidential office. However,Grand Ayatollah Khamenei had previously mentioned that nobody knows his vote.
[edit] Mayor of Tehran
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On September, 2005 Ghalibaf was elected by Tehran City Council to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the 57th Mayor of Tehran with 8 out of 15 votes of the council.
up until now he has been the most successful Mayor of Tehran ever, even though hardly supported by the administration of President Ahmadinejad.
He is longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award.
In May 2008, Ghalibaf donated 30 billion Iranian Rials to Shia groups in Lebanon. Ghalibaf came under criticism from Iranian journalists and critics for ignoring the economic problem of people of Tehran and donating Tehran's budget to Lebanon. Ghalibaf's decision came only one day after he made remarks about the high level of poverty in Tehran. A few months ago, Iran donated 25 million dollars to Shia groups in Lebanon. [2][3]
[edit] References
- ^ Ghalibaf, Mohammad Baqer. Life (زندگی) (Persian). Dr Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf's personal website. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ Tehran Mayor gives aways Tehran's budget to Lebanon
- ^ MehrNews.com - Iran, world, political, sport, economic news and headlines
