June 20, 2025
There were stories about how the ultra right was going to mount an effort to oust Majlis Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf (photo) when he came up for re-election in May. But nothing happened. He was re-elected May 26 by a vote of 219 to 53 against only token opposition. This is Qalibaf’s sixth year as speaker. Tehran political circles were all braced for the ultra-rightwing to make a major effort to oust Qalibaf. All the Majlis leadership posts are just for one-year terms, so there’s another election each spring. But the talk of plotting against Qalibaf ended up being little more than talk. Qalibaf’s token opponent, Ahmad Rastineh, is an ultra rightist and one of those pounding the table in recent months to demand full enforcement of the dress code.