On 4 September 2005, he was elected as the next Mayor by the City Council of capital to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who left the office after being elected president. Leaked documents suggested misuse of municipal property and preferential treatment of insiders. Although Ghalibaf denied wrongdoing, the episode damaged his reputation ahead of the 2017 presidential election. Ghalibaf has repeatedly sought presidency, underscoring his ambition to move from administrative to national leadership.
While he has not yet achieved the presidency, his repeated bids have made him a fixture in post-revolution political landscape, and his alliances with the Revolutionary Guard and key clerical networks ensure his continued influence. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s legacy is still being written. He represents a generation of Iranian leaders who rose from the –Iraq War to dominate politics and governance. Whether viewed as a technocrat and modernizer or a symbol of entrenched power and corruption, Ghalibaf embodies the complexity of political system — where revolutionary loyalty, bureaucratic expertise, and personal ambition intertwine.
