Could Ahmadinejad pull a Putin?
Golnaz Esfandiari reports on Iran’s latest political controversy: During the interview, the reporter asked the president if he planned to publicly name people involved in state corruption, as he had promised to do. "There is only one year left of the government…," the reporter began. "How do you know it will be the final year?" ...
Golnaz Esfandiari reports on Iran's latest political controversy:
During the interview, the reporter asked the president if he planned to publicly name people involved in state corruption, as he had promised to do. "There is only one year left of the government…," the reporter began.
"How do you know it will be the final year?" a smiling Ahmadinejad responded. The government is part of the Iranian nation, he added, and the nation will remain forever.
Golnaz Esfandiari reports on Iran’s latest political controversy:
During the interview, the reporter asked the president if he planned to publicly name people involved in state corruption, as he had promised to do. "There is only one year left of the government…," the reporter began.
"How do you know it will be the final year?" a smiling Ahmadinejad responded. The government is part of the Iranian nation, he added, and the nation will remain forever.
The cryptic answer made headlines on several Iranian news sites, including Khabaronline, which said Ahmadinejad made the comment with what it called a "meaningful" smile.
One member of the Iranian parliament’s executive board accused the president of attempting to put in place a "Putin/Medvedev presidency plan," though it’s unclear who would be Medvedev in that scenario.
If Ahmadinejad were planning something like this, it’s seems odd that he would telegraph it this way in an interview.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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