Mohammad Saeedikia

Summary

Mohammad Saeedikia (born 1946) is an Iranian politician who was the former head of Mostazafan Foundation (Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled), from 2014 to 2019. He served as a government minister in different cabinets last of which was minister of housing and urban development from 2005 to 2009.

Mohammad Saeedikia
Head of Mostazafan Foundation
In office
22 July 2014 – 22 July 2019
Appointed byAli Khamenei
Preceded byMohammad Forouzandeh
Succeeded byParviz Fattah
Minister of Housing
In office
24 August 2005 – 3 September 2009
PresidentMahmoud Ahmedinejad
Preceded byAli Abdolalizadeh
Succeeded byAli Nikzad
Minister of Jihad of Construction
In office
20 August 1997 – 14 January 2001
PresidentMohammad Khatami
Preceded byGholamreza Forouzesh
Succeeded byMahmoud Hojjati (Merged in Agriculture Ministry)
Minister of Transportation
In office
28 October 1985 – 16 August 1993
PresidentAli Khamenei
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Prime MinisterMir-Hossein Mousavi
Preceded byHadi Nejad-Hosseinian
Succeeded byAkbar Torkan
Personal details
Born1946 (age 77–78)
Isfahan, Iran
ResidenceTehran
Alma materAmirkabir University of Technology

Early life and education edit

Saeedikia was born in Isfahan in 1946.[1][2] He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[2] Then he obtained a master's degree in civil engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.[1]

Career edit

Saeedikia was the chairman of the urban planning and development corporation.[3] Next he became deputy chief of the economic branch of the foundation of deprived.[2] Later he served in most of the cabinets formed since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.[4] His first cabinet post was the minister of roads and transportation. He held this post first in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi from 1985 to 1989. He held the same post in the cabinet of President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from 1989 to 1993. On 29 August 1989, Saeedikia was approved by the Majlis with 195 for and 43 against votes.[5] His tenure ended in 1993.

When Mohammad Khatami became president in 1997, Saeedikia was named minister of construction.[6][7] He was in office from 1997 to 2000.[1] Then he served as advisor to Khatami from 2000 to 2005.[1]

On 24 August 2005 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed him the minister of housing and urban development.[8][9] Saeedikia won the highest for votes at the Majlis, being given 222 votes for by 284 majlis members.[3][10] His term ended in 2009.[11] He also served as the head of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development from May 2008 to August 2009.[11] In January 2010, he was appointed deputy head of the Pars Oil Company.[12]

He was head of the Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan (Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled), the second-largest commercial enterprise in Iran (behind the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company)[13] and biggest holding company in the Middle East, between years of 2014 to 2019.

Candidacy for 2013 elections edit

Saeedikia was the first officially announced candidate for the 2013 presidential election in Iran.[11] He announced his candidacy in December 2012.[14] Due to his career, he was considered to be a traditionalist principlist candidate, but in fact he was an independent and technocrat candidate.[15][16] Saeedikia was also one of the dark horse candidates.[17] His nomination was rejected by Guardian Council on 21 May 2013.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Potential Candidate Series: Mohammad Saeedikia". Iran Election Watch. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Ali Alfoneh (May 2008). "Ahmadinejad versus the Technocrats" (PDF). Middle East Outlook. 4: 1–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Iran parliament confirms key hardline ministers". Iran Focus. 24 August 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Iran Election Watch 2013: Twenty four presidential candidates emerge". The International. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  5. ^ Ehteshami, Anoushiravan (1991). "After Khomeini: The Structure of Power in the Iranian Second Republic". Political Studies. XXXIX: 148–157. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1991.tb00586.x. S2CID 145005463.
  6. ^ "Net spread for biological research partners". Iran Report. 2 (12). 22 March 1999.
  7. ^ "President Mohammad Khatami's Cabinet August 1997". Iran. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  8. ^ "New ministers hail from Revolutionary Guards". Iran Focus. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Ideologues Proposed to Fill Iranian Cabinet". Ohmy News. 18 August 2005. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Proposed ministers receive votes of confidence". Payvand. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Ahmad Rezai (31 December 2012). "Mohammad Saeedi-Kia announces his nomination for presidential election". Kabir News. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Appointment for Former Iran Petroleum Minister". BEDigest. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  13. ^ Millionaire mullahs by Paul Klebnikov, 7 July 2003, The Iranian Originally printed in Forbes, Retrieved 15 May 2009
  14. ^ "Former minister announces candidacy for presidential election". Tehran Times. 18 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Consolidated list of presidential candidates". Iran Daily Brief. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  16. ^ Mustafa Al Labbad (May 2013). "The Favorites in Iran's Election". As Safir. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Who Will Be Iran's Next President?". Radio Free Liberty. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  18. ^ "Profiles: Iran election candidates". BBC. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Mohammad Saeedikia at Wikimedia Commons