The 67-year-old is able to look back upon a long and eventful political career. Even as a student of fine arts and architecture in the Iranian capital, Mousavi was active in Islamic fundamentalist groups opposed to the Shah’s regime. As the unpopular ruler finally left the country in the face of public discontent and in the resulting void a theocracy was established, Mousavi headed the central committee of the Islamic Republican Party (IRP).

Crisis management

He was active in crisis management during his time as Prime Minister from 1981 to 1989, during which Iran was locked in conflict with its neighbor, Iraq. Perhaps one of his greatest achievements during the war was to establish a strict but functional system of food rationing and price control. Due in no small part to this, Mousavi is seen as someone who can be trusted in combating the effects of the world wide economic crisis.

Supporter of the atomic programme

Mousavi is regarded as a cautious reformer, vehemently opposed to the foreign policy of Ahmadinejad. Mousavi likewise rejects the anti-Israel rhetoric and Holocaust denial of the incumbent president. However, one policy point where he agrees with Ahmadinejad is the continuation of Iran’s controversial atomic program.

Pragmatic but conservative

But Mousavi is far from being a “liberal” according to the European definition of the word. He belonged to the first generation of Islamic revolutionaries and was bound to the principles laid out by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini. Mousavi himself describes his beliefs as being positioned in the center: a pragmatic conservative, grounded in the religious system, but with a view for Iran’s own grave problems.

After spending his youth in the city, Mousavi gained many female supporters due to his support for equal rights for men and women. This support also extends to intellectual and cultural circles.

Olja Ebel / Andrew Shale

Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn