Iran's presidential election

Abstract

The election by a landslide of the hard-line mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as president of Iran on 25 June 2005 surprised most observers. Yet, as the dust has begun to settle, it has become apparent that Ahmadinejad’s electoral success reflected a greater degree of planning and calculation on his part than had hitherto been appreciated, and that his campaign showed a better grasp of the changes that have taken place in Iranian politics and society than Ahmadinejad’s opponents were able to demonstrate.