Abolhassan Banisadr

Abolhassan Banisadr (ابوالحسن بنی‌صدر; born March 22, 1933) was the first elected President of Iran after the 1979 revolution.

Related Topics:
March 22 - 1933 - President of Iran - 1979 revolution

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Banisadr had participated in the anti-Shah student movement during the early 1960s, was imprisoned twice and was wounded during an uprising in 1963. He then fled to France and joined the Iranian resistance group led by Ayatollah Khomeini. Banisadr returned to Iran together with Khomeini as the revolution was beginning in February 1979. He was the deputy economy and finance minister and acting foreign minister briefly during 1979, and the finance minister from 1979 to 1980.

Related Topics:
Shah - 1960s - 1963 - France - Iranian - Ayatollah Khomeini - 1979 - Foreign minister - Finance minister - 1980

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He was elected President in early 1980, when he ran in a competitive election against Ahmad Madani, Hassan Habibi, Sadegh Tabatabaee, Dariush Forouhar, Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, Kazem Sami, Mohammad Makri, Hassan Ghafourifard, and Hassan Ayat.

Related Topics:
1980 - Ahmad Madani - Hassan Habibi - Sadegh Tabatabaee - Dariush Forouhar - Sadegh Ghotbzadeh - Kazem Sami - Mohammad Makri - Hassan Ghafourifard - Hassan Ayat

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Banisadr was not an Islamic cleric: Ayatollah Khomeini had insisted that clerics should not run for positions in the government (he changed his mind later). In August and September, 1980, Banisadr survived two helicopter crashes near the Iranian border with Iraq.

Related Topics:
Helicopter - Iraq

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Banisadr soon had a falling-out with Ayatollah Khomeini, because he did not accept Ayatollah's Khomeini's condition to remain quiet, and let the opposition groups be destroyed. Mr. Khomeini sent him an ultimatum. Something to the effect of either you remain quiet, and you will have all the powers, or oppose this, and you will be done. Banisadr sent him many letters, and warned against dictatorship.

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2ndly, he had also uncovered, illegal diplomatic relations between candidate of presidency in USA, Ronald Reagan and some leaders of the Islamic Republic Party ran by Mr. Beheshti, and had formally complained to Iran's Justice department for investigation.

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3rdly, Banisadr's popularity was rising, because after 6 months of war which started because Mr. Sadam Hosein invaded Iran using Iraqee armies full force, and with the blessing of US; Iraq, and some of the gulf region countries had aggreed to pay repairation, about $60 Billion, and basically, agreed to all Iranian terms for stopping the war. Mr. Rafsanjani argued, that if they let Banisadr finish the war, he will sit on his tank, and march to Tehran, and not even Khomeini would be able to touch him. The famous quote from Mr. Rafsanjani in one of the secret meeting where Mr. Hosein Khomeini was present, "It is better if half of Iran is destroyed than for Banisadr to have won the war".

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Accusing Banisadr of a weak performance in leading Iranian troops in the Iran-Iraq War, Khomeini forever stripped the Presidency from holding the power of commander-in-chief and instead assigned it to his own office on June 10, 1980.

Related Topics:
Iran-Iraq War - Commander-in-chief - June 10 - 1980

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Banisadr was impeached on June 21, 1981 by the Iranian parliament, allegedly because of his moves against the clerics in power, most specifically Mohammad Beheshti, head of judicial system at the time. Ayatollah Khomeini appears to have instigated the impeachment, which he signed the next day, on June 22.

Related Topics:
Impeached - June 21 - 1981 - Mohammad Beheshti - June 22

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Even, before Ayatollah Khomeini had signed the impeachment papers, they Coup-de'eta Pasdaran, who were guided by Mr. Rafsanjani, or May be Mr. Beheshti, had seized the presidential areas, and imprisoned newspaper writers which worked for a newspaper closely tied to Mr. Banisadr. In the next few days they also executed several of his closest friends, including Mr. Hossein Navab, Rashid Sadrolhefazi, and Manouchehr Massoudi. It was revealed later, that the group who were tasked to capture Mr. Banisadr, were told to finish him off, even before he gets to the jail.

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Banisadr soon left Iran to reveal the organic and secret relationship between Ayatollah Khomeini's regime, and Reaganisem. He fled to France along with Masoud Radjavi ,leader of Mojahedin,, where (as of 2005) he still lives, has published many articles about Iran.

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