Experience prior to office
Abolhassan Banisadr began his political career by studying economics and religion at the university of Tehrān. He also spent four years at the Institute of Social Research. After his graduation, he joined the movement against Shah Mohammed Palhavi and was arrested twice by police before fleeing to France alongside revolution leader Ruhollah Khomeini. When Banisadr returned to the new Islamic Republic of Iran, he was quickly appointed as deputy minister of the economy by Khomeini (Britannica, 2019).
Presidential Term
Banisadr was elected as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1980, and was appointed to the revolutionary council one month later. However, for most of Banisadr's first year as president he had to constantly make compromises and appoint people he disagreed with to powerful positions. One man in particular that he disliked but was forced to accept was Mohammed Ali Raja'i, who became Iran's prime minister (Britannica, 2019). He refused to accept many of Raja'i's appointments, sparking an early feud between the two. When the Iran-Iraq war started in 1980, Banisadr complained to Khomeini, stating that incompetent government officials were a greater threat to the country than even Iraq. Eventually, Banisadr was impeached in 1981 when his opposition to taking hostages from a U.S. embassy in Tehrān caused conflict with Iran's parliament (Britannica, 2019).
Life After Impeachment
After being impeached in 1981, Banisadr fled once again to France, where he lives to the day [April, 2019]. In France he has been able to spread details on his impeachment and his falling out with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as well as speak out against the Islamic Republic of Iran as a whole. Banisadr said that they began to loose their relationship over the siege of the U.S. embassy. Khomeini told him that the hostages would be released in a week, but when a week came and passed, Khomeini became paranoid that the U.S. would attempt to undermine his government and held onto the hostages for much longer. Banisadr didn't approve of taking hostages and disagreed with Khomeini on the issue. Later, Khomeini gave him a list of political parties and candidates that he expected Banisadr to denounce before the upcoming elections. Banisadr refused, which he later cites as "signing his own death warrant." (Ghivimi, 2018). Today, Banisadr speaks out against the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that, "The collapse of the Islamic Republic Iran is not a possibility, it is inevitable," and "Its goals are against the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian Revolution. The people of Iran and Islam have fallen victims to a 'mulltaria' (theocratic and millitary) and a dictatorship (Ghivimi, 2018).
Historical Significance
Abolhassan Banisadr's actions during his short term in office set the precedent for what democratically elected officials could and couldn't do in the new Iranian Republic. While his actions failed to make much of an impact on the Iranian government, they revealed the true nature of a system which gives theocratic oligarchs the entirety of the countries power. After his exile, Banisadr was able to bring light among the international community onto the practices and corruption in Iran. His two books teach good lessons to anyone about how a democracy should work, and how/why Iran's democracy fails to.
Since his exile Abolhassan Banisadr has written two books, My Turn to Speak, and Dignity in the 21st Century.