He took a religious hard line, reversing reforms of previous moderate mayors. His 2005 presidential campaign, supported by the Alliance of Builders of Islamic , garnered 62% of the runoff election votes, and he became president on 3 August 2005.During his presidency, Ahmadinejad was a controversial figure in homeland and other countries. He has been criticized domestically for his economic policies and accused of disregard for human rights by organizations in North America and Europe.