Jamshid Savadkouhi
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Current revision as of 23:56, 16 November 2007
| Jamshid Savadkouhi | ||
| Prime Minister of Iran | ||
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| Term of office August 3, 2005 — present | ||
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| Political party | Rastakhiz | |
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| Preceded by | Fazlollah Pakravan | |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent | |
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| Born | August 12, 1957 (age 50) | |
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| Spouse | Nazanin Savadkouhi (née Sassani) (deceased) | |
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| Profession | Historian, politician | |
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| Religion | Zoroastrianism | |
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| Languages | Persian, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, English, French | |
Jamshid Savadkouhi (born August 12, 1957) is the current Prime Minister (head of government) of Iran. He was appointed to that position on August 3, 2005, when his Rastakhiz party won parliamentary elections that year (as it had every year since its foundation in the mid-1970s).
Born to an upper-middle class family in Nishapur, Jamshid belongs to the Zoroastrian minority. His father was a doctor and his mother worked as a civil servant for the government. From an early age, he showed an avid interest in history and politics, and through hard work and perseverance, he earned a scholarship to study at Oxford, where he earned a master's degree in history. He returned to Iran and taught Ancient Persian history at the University of Tehran for several years; it was during this time that he met his wife, Nazanin, with whom he had two children, a son and a daughter. Sadly, his wife was killed in 1988 in a terrorist bombing that took the lives of over 50 people; Tudeh claimed responsibility. This event left Jamshid a lifelong, militant anticommunist.
An enthusiastic monarchist, he later joined the right-wing Rastakhiz party, dabbled in local politics, and, in a hotly contested race, was elected Mayor of Tehran in 1999. He became widely known for his hard-line stance on law and order issues, moderate social libertarianism, and extreme laissez faire economic views. During his tenure as mayor, crime plummeted 30% while the city's economic growth soared. His popularity won him the leadership of Rastakhiz in 2004, and the following year, the party won a landslide victory, and he became Prime Minister.
[edit] Trivia
Jamshid speaks five languages - Persian, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, English, and French - all fluently.
His son, Sassan, is the current Foreign Minister of Iran.
