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• Iranian politician Mir Hossein Mousavi served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. In 2009, ran for President of Iran against incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His candidacy was seen as a moderate alternative to Ahmadinejad's anti-western policies and rhetoric. Iranian authorities reported a landslide victory for Ahmadenijad on June 13, 2009. Mousavi and his supporters alleged vote-rigging and fraud and Ayatollah Khamenei, ordered an investigation into the allegations of fraud.

  The outcome sparked protests and riots in Tehran's streets. Mousavi called on his supporters to attend peaceful demonstrations although Iranian authorities oppose such gatherings. On June 18, 2009, Mousavi encouraged protesters to wear black in memory of those who were killed during the unrest.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: September 19, 1941
  2. Birthplace: Khameneh, Iran
  3. Party: Reform
  4. Former profession: Prime Minister of Iran
  5. University: Shahid Beheshti University
  6. Spouse: Zahra Rahnavard
  7. Masters degree in architecture
  8. Member of the Expediency Discernment Council and the High Council of Cultural Revolution
  9. President of the Iranian Academy of Arts

• 2009 Presidential Campaign

  After announcing his plans to run for president in March of 2009, Mousavi received support from labor unions and followers from both sides of the political parties. He vowed in campaign messages to eliminate corruption, promote freedom of expression, equality and fairness. Mousavi also hopes to repel the ban on private ownership of television stations and shift control of law enforcement to the president.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/world/middleeast/26iran.html

  As part of his campaign, Mousavi used the social networking site Facebook to reach supporters. Access to Facebook in Iran was temporarily blocked in May of 2009, but later restored after many accused Ahmadinejad of trying to hinder Mousavi's campaign. Mousavi also had a strong grass-roots following, with many supports working on the campaign for no compensation, while Ahmadinejad provided pay, food and transportation for his campaign workers.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/world/middleeast/26iran.html

  On June 10, 2009, two days before the elections, Ahmadinejad accused Mousavi of lying about the country's economic problems in an attempt to sway voters in his direction. Mousavi previously accused Ahmadinejad of manipulating statistics to hide the country's financial problems from the public.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/10/ahmadinejad-attacks-rival_n_213717.html

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad | Iran | Rally Against Ahmadinejad | Iran Protests

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