Iran

September 2008 | Ratings Update

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently gave his public backing to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, telling him in late August to 'work as if you will stay in charge for five years'. In another demonstration of support for the president, on September 19, Khamenei told politicians to stop the bickering that was destabilising the government. With presidential elections scheduled for next June his statements can be interpreted as an early endorsement of the incumbent. Although Khamenei has acknowledged the Islamic Republic's inflation problem, which largely results from Ahmadinejad's populist policies, the Supreme leader nevertheless admires the president for the latter's

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