| Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf محمدباقر قالیباف |
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|---|---|
| Speaking at Sharif University of Technology April 2005 |
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| Mayor of Tehran | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 17, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 23, 1961 Torghabeh, Razavi Khorasan, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Political party | Islamic Society of Engineers |
| Spouse(s) | Zahra Moshiri |
| Alma mater | Tarbiat Modares University |
| Profession | Politician and former soldier |
| Religion | Twelver Shi'a Islam |
| Website | Official mayoral website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | AGIR |
| Years of service | 1981–2005 |
| Commands | Nasr Troops Deputy Commander of the Resistance Force and Basij Troops
Commander of AFAGIR |
| Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War |
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf (Persian: محمدباقر قالیباف, born August 23, 1961 in Torghabeh, near Mashhad[1]) is the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran.
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Ghalibaf was born to a Khorasani Kurdish father and a Persian mother.[2] At the age of nineteen, he was one of the commanders of the defense forces during the Iran–Iraq War. Shortly afterwards he was named commander of the Rasulollah (the messenger of God) division (one of the most successful divisions in that war). By the time he was twenty-two, he was already commander of the Nasr Troops—a position that in the West would be led by a Major General at the least. 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 successfully completed a masters degree in Geopolitics. In 1998, when 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). Ghalibaf is quoted as saying, "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 can't even fly, as Commander of an Air Force. I told him don't worry, I'll soon fly Jumbo Jets, and now I am a co-pilot of Jumbos." In 2001, he received a PhD in Geopolitics from Tarbiat Modares University.
Ghalibaf was selected by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, to succeed General Hedayat Lotfian as Chief of the Police Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the Iran student protests in July 1999.
After becoming Iran's chief of police, Ghalibaf initiated some reforms in the forces, including the Police 110 project whose goal was to make the police more accessible to the general public. He was also successful in handling the student protests in 2003 with his deputy Morteza Talaei, Chief of the Police Forces of Tehran, and helped end the protests without any fatalities or serious damages. In addition, he served as the special representative of President of Iran at the time, Mohammad Khatami, on the Anti-Traffic Committee.
On April 5, 2005, Ghalibaf submitted his resignation from the military positions (including the Police Forces) due to his intention to run for the presidency of Iran; his resignation was approved by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Ghalibaf was a candidate in the Iranian presidential election of 2005, 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.
It has also been reported that Ghalibaf has claimed in a private party that he has the support of Ali Khamenei for the presidential office. However, Khamenei has previously mentioned that nobody knows his vote.
On September, 2005, Ghalibaf was elected by the Tehran City Council to succeed Ahmadinejad as the 57th Mayor of Tehran with 8 out of 15 votes of the council. Along with Gholamhossein Karbaschi, he has been referred to as one of the most successful mayors of Tehran, although he is hardly supported by the administration of President Ahmadinejad. He was also longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award.
On October 13, 2008, he announced his support for dialogue with the United States as suggested by President (then presidential candidate) Barack Obama. According to Ghalibaf, "I think the world community, the Iranian society and the US society would benefit" from such talks.[3]