Skip to main content

Can Tehran’s next mayor unite Iran’s Reformists?

Tehran has elected its third mayor in 18 months and he has a challenging road ahead to unite a divided Reformist camp.
PirouzHanachi-1.jpg

Tehran’s city council selected 55-year-old Reformist politician and architect Pirouz Hanachi as the capital’s third mayor in 18 months on Nov. 13. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, conservative politician and Tehran’s longest serving mayor, left office in August 2017 after Reformists swept the city council elections that year. He was followed by Mohammad Ali Najafi, who held the office for just eight months and left after health concerns. Mohammad Ali Afshani held the position since May 2018 but was forced to resign after a new law forbiding retirees from holding public office.

Hanachi will have a tough road ahead of him in uniting Reformists and putting his seal on a city that was dominated by conservatives. One particular advantage for Hanachi is that he seems to have the backing of the Hassan Rouhani administration. Hanachi’s rival for the mayoral office was former Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi, who resigned and attributed the country’s economic crisis to the Rouhani administration. It was also rumored that former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami had supported Hanachi’s candidacy, though his office quickly denied this.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.