Tehran Municipal Election Results a Major Political Setback for Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's opponents were poised to secure a majority on Tehran's City Council, in his first political setback since he won the office in June 2005. Backers of Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, a rival of Ahmadinejad, are set to win eight of fifteen seats in the municipal election. Candidates from a coalition of modernizing "reformists," including three of former president Mohammad Khatami's ministers, looked likely to pick up four more seats.

The results show that Ahmadinejad's populist rhetoric hasn't impressed Iranians as much as he may have expected. After a year-and-a-half in office, Ahmadinejad's lack of delivery on promises to raise living standards and improve economic conditions seems to have registered with voters. He was elected president after a campaign in which he said he would use oil revenue for the improvement of ordinary Iranians' lives.