AHMADINEJAD FEARS FOR LOOSING TEHRAN
The Iranian President, who aims to form
his own team in the Iranian bureaucracy, continues to
appoint his supporters to the critical positions. In August,
Ahmadinejad appointed the former commander of the Northwest
Region of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Sadegh
Mahsouly as his “chief military adviser” and he is now
preparing Mahsuli as the mayor of Tehran in place of
Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaph.
The mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher
Ghalibaph, who is known as close to the radical conservative
circles, was actually born in Khorasan and he is of Turkish
origin. Bagher Ghalibaph, the former commander of the IRGC
Air Forces, was appointed to the Regular Commandership of
Nirouye during the Student Movements in 1999. Bagher
Ghalibaph married with the daughter of the Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamanei and run for the Presidency by
resigning from the Regular Commandership of Niruyi. After
the appointment of M. Ahmadinejad as President, he is
elected as the Mayor of Tehran. The greatest supporter of
Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaph, who is also backed by the group
of Abad Geran in the Iranian Parliament, is Mujtaba Khamenei,
son of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad, who has an
important clout in Tehran as the former mayor, is concerned
about loosing his clout in Tehran in the coming period due
to the fact that Qalibaf, the actual Mayor of Tehran, is
supported by the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Everybody in Iran says that Ahmadainajad, who is faced with
“the risk of his power being damaged”, seeks to make Sadegh
Mahsouli, who he appointed as chief military adviser, the
mayor of Tehran and awaits curiously the next move in the
power struggle in the country, which has become almost a
chess game.
