Tehran's 'man of action' mayor keeps his eye on national office

Iran's Mayor Mohammed Baqr Qalibaf has tried to boost city services while showing himself at ease on the world stage.

By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the April 5, 2007 edition

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TEHRAN, IRAN - The tree-planting ceremony in Tehran's Dialogue Park feels more like an early stop on Iran's presidential campaign trail than a bid by a humble local mayor to turn Iran's largest city green.

Some break through the photographers ringing Mayor Mohammed Baqr Qalibaf and give voice to one of the biggest questions in Iran's political future: the ambitions of this former national police chief and moderate conservative for top office.

"Can I have an autograph?" asks one Gulf Arab diplomat after planting his nation's tree in the park. Mr. Qalibaf laughs, and, in mock surprise, asks why.

"Tomorrow you will be president!" enthuses the diplomat, evoking a smile from the square-jawed mayor with receding hair and designer sunglasses.

The Tehran mayor's post has long been a launchpad for national political aspirations in Iran. Arch-conservative President Mahmoud Ah madinejad used the office to turn a nondescript political career in the provinces into victory in June 2005, beating a mix of other right-wing candidates, including Qalibaf.

Analysts say that Qalibaf has learned the lessons from that failed bid, in which he ran a slick, Western-style campaign that played on his credentials as a commercial Airbus pilot. It won him less than 14 percent of the first-round vote (Mr. Ahmadinejad won 19 percent) and did not show, they say, enough reverence for the needs of the conservative common man.

Presenting himself today as Iran's new "man of action," Qalibaf is striving to impress at home, with a host of initiatives to improve life for 10-15 million residents in chaotic Tehran and a workday that often begins with meetings before dawn, while showing himself to be comfortable on the global stage.

"He could be the key of the next political fight. He comes from an older generation of [Revolutionary Guards], and could help bring them back into the mainstream," says Mohammad Hadi Semati, a political scientist at the University of Tehran. "Given the reckless record of Ahmadinejad in the Iranian political context, he may be a new bright star."

Thursday, the mayor wrapped up a three-day visit to Switzerland, which is portrayed as a summit between the mayors of Zurich and Tehran to discuss municipal problems like traffic control. But the event has been burnished to appear like a state visit with top-level meetings.

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