Iran's Ahmadinejad to leave politics, newspaper reports

[UrbScotty]

Source: CNN

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will leave politics when his second term comes to an end, and does not envision a Vladimir Putin-style return to office after sitting out for a term, a German newspaper reported Sunday.

"Eight years are enough," the controversial Iranian leader told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

He's barred by law from seeking a third consecutive term in 2013. Russian President Putin was forced out of office by a similar law, spent one term as prime minister, then returned to office this year.

But Putin dominates his country's politics in a way that Ahmadinejad does not, observers say.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/17/world/meast/iran-ahmadinejad/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[XemaSab]

1. Hopefully this will make it less volatile in the region

by which I mean "Hopefully without a "villain" the US will chill the fuck out."

[MADem]

2. There is a god. Now if only the ulema will step back and let the people decide.

I'm not holding my breath. They'll pick another puppet.

Comparing Amadinejad to Putin? Absurd. Putin has POWER. The Little Mayor of Teheran does not.

[David__77]

3. He hasn't been their puppet actually. That's why they don't like him.

The problem with the self-styled "reformists" among those working within the framework of the Islamic republic elections, is that they largely advocate privatization and right-wing economic policies. If they don't abandon that, working class Iranian voters will continue to support "populists" that are almost always staunchly committed to Islamic republican principles.

[MADem]

5. He has zero control of the armed forces--he is, in essence, a puppet.

He can't tell a military private to wash his car. It is a very bifurcated system over there, and deliberately arranged thusly.

The ulema chooses who can run in elections--THAT's why there are few tolerable candidates on the ballot. The only reason Amadinejad even HAS his job is because the ulema allowed him to run.

[nanabugg]

8. Now if only Bibi and the rest of the Likud would quit too. What a wonderful world! nt

[Turbineguy]

4. With Bush gone

there's not much point in keeping him on. After all, he was put in there to out-crazy Dubya.

[JoePhilly]

6. Maybe he wants to be Romney's running mate.

If you want to turn the US into a Theocracy, he's got the experience.

[maddezmom]

7. +1