The United States is great Satan and Israel is a little Satan
   —Mahmood Ahmadinejad

The ultra—fundamentalists always want to control the entire regime in Iran. Ahmadinejad's victory in the run—off of the sham electoral process has given them this opportunity.  When Ayatollah Khomeini was live, Ahmadinejad regularly met with Khomeini.

Ahmadinejad is considered to be very close to Khamenei and his policies. Two weeks before the presidential election Ayatollah Khameni said that No one would know who he will vote for in up coming presidential election, but at the same time his son Mojtaba Khamenei was openly supporting Ahmadinejad.
Ahmadinejad was strongly supported by members of the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij (the Islamic mobilized resistance force). During the crackdown on universities in 1980, which Khomeini called the 'Islamic Cultural Revolution,' Ahmadinejad played a critical role in purging dissident lecturers and students, many of whom were arrested and later executed. Universities remained closed for three years and Ahmadinejad joined the Revolutionary Guards. In the early 1980s, Ahmadinejad worked in the 'Internal Security' department of the IRGC (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps). It been said that current Iran's Defense Minister Ali Shamkani will keep his job in Ahmadinejad cabinet.

Since becoming mayor of Tehran in April 2003, Ahmadinejad has been using his position to build up a strong network of radical Islamic fundamentalists organized as Abadgaran—e Iran—e Islami (literally, Developers of an Islamic Iran). Working in close conjunction with the Revolutionary Guards, Abadgaran was able to win the municipal elections in 2003 and the parliamentary election in 2004.

Ahmadinejad was supported by the head of Iran's Parliament, Adel Hadad (a member of Abadgaran—e Iran—e Islami), and many other fundamentalist groups in Iran. The daughter of Adel Hadad is the wife of Mojtaba Khamenei. In his first press release after winning the presidential election Ahmadinejad was assisted by Mehdi Chamran, head of the city council of Tehran, who once said 'If any generation does not believe in a Culture of Martyrdom, it definitely will not achieve a great victory.'

Out of 48,000,000 eligible Iranian voters in the first round 5,710,354, and suddenly in the second round, 17,000,000 voted for Ahmadinejad. In the run—off election supporters of Baqir Qalibaf, a religious hard—liner, did not support Ahmadinejad, but supporters of Larijani, another candidate of hard—lines supported Ahmadinejad. If the numbers are accurate, one out of every three eligible Iranian voters voted for Ahmadinejad. 

But the numbers are not real. Presidential candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who lost the election, pointing his finger at hard—line institutions and said a vast "illegal" operation was in place, aimed at turning voters against him. He went on to say that "all the means of the regime were used in an organized and illegal way to intervene in the election." Rafsanjani added that "I do not intend to file a complaint to jurists who have shown that they cannot or do not want to do anything. This I will leave to God." 

Two weeks before the election, Rafsanjani said that he has very strong relationship with Ayatollah Khamenei. Right after Rafsanjani lost the election, he criticized Khamenei indirectly. Which stance is his true one? One thing is certain: Iran remains firmly in the hands of those who loathe America and the West.

Mehran Riazaty formerly worked as a media analyst, specializing on Iran, for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.