# President Ahmadinejad of Iran to leave politics in 2013 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 18, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546 "2012-06-18T17:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/1 "2012-06-18T17:26:18Z")
[CNN reports:](http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/17/world/meast/iran-ahmadinejad/index.html?hpt=hp_t2) > [@](#): > > Tehran, Iran (CNN) – Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will leave politics when his second term comes to an end, and does not envision a Vladimir Putin-style return to office after sitting out for a term, a German newspaper reported Sunday. > > “Eight years are enough,” the controversial Iranian leader told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. > > He’s barred by law from seeking a third consecutive term in 2013. Russian President Putin was forced out of office by a similar law, spent one term as prime minister, then returned to office this year. > > But Putin dominates his country’s politics in a way that Ahmadinejad does not, observers say. > > Ahmadinejad has been in a power struggle with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and he’s losing, according to experts. So – good news, I guess, crazy as the saber-rattling anti-Israeli gay-bashing bastard is – but this means [Khamenei](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamenei) – a key figure in the 1979 Revolution, and a right-hand man of Khomeini himself – wins the power-struggle, and is that any better for Iran or Israel or America or the world? Is there **any** chance this will lead to liberalization or secularization or real democracy in Iran? Is anybody here well-versed in Iranian current events? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/2 "2012-06-18T17:34:16Z")
In my experience, the older, more religious elements are the ones who tend to be less open to change. I mean, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/3 "2012-06-18T17:44:41Z")
He’s going to take some time off to oppress his family. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/4 "2012-06-18T18:06:14Z")
The scary thing is that Ahmadinejad is a moderate compared to his bosses. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/5 "2012-06-18T18:08:46Z")
My guess is his pockets are full! ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/6 "2012-06-18T18:12:34Z")
Hopefully he’ll work on fixing Tehran’s traffic. He has a Ph.D. in traffic management. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/7 "2012-06-18T19:53:39Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Hopefully he’ll work on fixing Tehran’s traffic. He has a Ph.D. in traffic management. He could emigrate to LA and help out there while enjoying the company of the world’s largest enclave of ethnic Iranians outside of Iran! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/8 "2012-06-18T20:03:27Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > My guess is his pockets are full! No, that would be the [Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolutionary_Guard_Corps#Economic_activity) or Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. A third player, with major business interests. Not to be confused with the [Guardian Council,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_council) which is six mullahs appointed by Khamenei and six lawyers nominated by the “Head of the Judicial Power” (also appointed by Khamenei), and which has the power to veto legislation and disqualify election candidates. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/9 "2012-06-19T01:37:48Z")
[Meanwhile, Iran begins nuclear talks in Moscow.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/18/moscow-nuclear-talks_n_1605066.html) > [@](#): > > MOSCOW, June 18 (Reuters) - World powers began two days of talks with Iran on Monday to try to end a decade-long stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear programme and avert the threat of a new war in the Middle East. > > In Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran would be prepared to stop enriching uranium to a higher level - a process that could be used to make nuclear arms - if the six powers agreed to meet its needs for the fuel. But it is not clear how much influence Ahmadinejad has over the negotiations and whether his remarks reflect Tehran’s position in the talks. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-ahmadinejad-of-iran-to-leave-politics-in-2013/625546/10 "2012-06-25T04:38:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He could emigrate to LA and help out there while enjoying the company of the world’s largest enclave of ethnic Iranians outside of Iran! Yes, I’m sure he would get along smashingly with Persian expats. :rolleyes: Seriously, can we now finally knock off the line that [del]Imadinnerjacket[/del] [del]Ahmadi[/del][sub]_—fine—_[/sub]Ahmadinejad is some sort of madman seeking a war with Israel and the nuclear bombing of his own country in its inevitable reprisal? Really, now. He’s very likely a corrupt ass, but he’s not what paranoid Westerners think he is.