Mohammad-Reza Bahonar

Mohammad-Reza Bahonar
Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 May 2011
Preceded by	Aboutorabi Fard
In office 6 June 2004 – 26 May 2010
Preceded by	Mohammad-Reza Khatami
Succeeded by	Aboutorabi Fard
Leader of Islamic Society of Engineers
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 March 2001
Preceded by	Morteza Nabavi
Personal details
Born	Kerman, Iran
Political party	Islamic Society of Engineers
Alma mater	Tehran University
Religion	Usuli Twelver Shia Islam

Mohammad-Reza Bahonar (محمدرضا باهنر in Persian) was the conservative First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran. He is a representative from Kerman.

In previous parliaments, he has been elected as a representative from Kerman and Tehran. He is considered a key member of the conservative alliance, and was considered a possible candidate for the post of the speaker or the leader of the conservative faction in the parliament. He later refused to run for the post of speaker possibly because of a deal made inside the conservative alliance, so he decided to run for the post of deputy speaker. He became the First Deputy Speaker for one year on June 6, 2004 with 188 votes out of 259. The other running candidate for the post of deputy speaker was Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard, a representative from Qazvin who became the second vice speaker with 173 votes. He was in office until May 26, 2010. He was re-elected as his position in 26 May 2011.

Bahonar, also the Leader of the Islamic Society of Engineers, backs commercial capitalism, and represents the technocrats of the conservative alliance. He believes in a free economy, but controlled cultural and political activities. He has mentioned that he prefers Iran to get involved in commerce, but not industry.

Mohammad Reza is the brother of Mohammad Javad Bahonar, the Former Prime Minister of Iran who was assassinated in 1981.

Attacking Iranian University Students

In a speech at Shiraz University, Bahonar harshly attacked students of Amirkabir University who criticized Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in December 2006. His lecture generated anger among students of Shiraz University. He also called for punishing the students, while accusing them of being sex and Alcohol addict.^[1]

On December 11, 2006, students disrupted a speech by Ahmadinejad at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. According to the Iranian Student News Agency, students set fire to photographs of Ahmadinejad and threw firecrackers. The protesters also chanted "death to the dictator". It was the first major public protest against Ahmadinejad since his election. In a statement carried on the students' Web site, they announced that they had been protesting the growing political pressure under Ahmadinejad, also accusing him of corruption, mismanagement, and discrimination. "The students showed that despite vast propaganda, the president has not been able to deceive academia," the statement added. It was also reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust. A student activist was quoted as saying the conference was "shameful" and had "brought to our country Nazis and racists from around the world." On the one hand, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss was invited by Ahmadinejad and gave a speech at the conference concerning Orthodox Jewish Attitude to the Holocaust. However, controversial figure and former Imperial Wizard of the KKK David Duke was also invited to attend.[1]

References

1. ^ باهنر: هر کس خربزه می خورد، پای لرزش هم بنشیند (ROOZ)

Political offices
Preceded by Mohammad-Reza Khatami	Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Iran 2004-2010	Succeeded by Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard
Preceded by Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard	Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Iran 2011-present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Morteza Nabavi	Leader of Islamic Society of Engineers 2001-Present	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Bahonar, Mohammad Reza
Alternative names
Short description	Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Iran
Date of birth
Place of birth	Kerman, Iran
Date of death
Place of death