 Mr Ahmadinejad calls himself a friend of the people |
He was not much better known when he entered the presidential election campaign, although he had already made his mark as Tehran mayor for rowing back on earlier reforms.
Since his election he has taken a tough stand on a number of foreign policy matters, in line with his hard-line background.
His comments that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and that the Holocaust was a "myth" drew widespread condemnation from the West.
Revolutionary credentials
Mr Ahmadinejad was born in Garmsar, near Tehran, in 1956, the son of a blacksmith, and holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran's University of Science and Technology, where he was a lecturer.
There has been confusion about his role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Several of the 52 Americans who were held hostage in the US embassy in the months after the revolution say they are certain Mr Ahmadinejad was among those who captured them.
He insists he was not there, and several known hostage-takers - now his strong political opponents - deny he was with them.
His website says he joined the Revolutionary Guards voluntarily after the revolution, and he is also reported to have served in covert operations during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
When he became mayor of Tehran, the former revolutionary guard curtailed many of the reforms put in place by the moderates who had run the city before him.
Iran's outgoing reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, barred Mr Ahmadinejad from attending cabinet meetings, a privilege normally accorded to mayors of the capital.
Mr Ahmadinejad reportedly spent no money on his presidential campaign - but he was backed by powerful conservatives who used their network of mosques to mobilise support for him.
He also had the support of a group of younger, second-generation revolutionaries known as the Abadgaran, or Developers, who are strong in the Iranian parliament, the Majlis.
His presidential campaign focused on poverty, social justice and the distribution of wealth inside Iran.
Hard-line approach
During his campaign, he also repeatedly defended his country's nuclear programme, which has worried the US and European Union.
Once in power, he made a defiant speech at the UN on the nuclear issue and refused to back down on Tehran's decision to resume uranium conversion.
He continued his defiance despite the reporting of Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council and the possible threat of sanctions.
He said no power could take away Iran's right to nuclear fuel technology.
Mr Ahmadinejad has maintained a hard line with the US, with whom diplomatic ties were broken in 1979.
At home, he banned Western and "indecent" music from state-run TV and radio stations in December 2005.
However, BBC analyst Sadeq Saba says there have been moves inside Iran to rein in the president.
'Confrontational'
Powerful figures such as former President Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani believe Mr Ahmadinejad's confrontational approach has backfired.
They say the US struggled to report Iran to the Security Council for a long time, but with Mr Ahmadinejad's help Washington got what it wanted in a few months.
Mr Ahmadinejad has now made some small-scale concessions to moderates. He said he would not be confrontational in enforcing a campaign in Tehran to insist women obeyed Iran's strict Islamic dress codes.
He has also allowed women into major sporting events for the first time since 1979.
Mr Ahmadinejad maintains a populist streak, calling his personal website Mardomyar, or the People's Friend.
He also has a reputation for living a simple life and campaigned against corruption.Iran's new President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already given the world an idea of his plans for the country. The following are quotes from Mr Ahmadinejad speaking before and after his surprise win in Friday's election.
This is a great honour. But even greater is the honour to serve this nation, as mayor, president or road sweeper. It is no different. The greatest honour is to be certain that one is serving the great people of Iran.
On the domestic scene, government policies will be based on moderation and any extremism will not only be avoided, but will be dealt with seriously.
As for the US government calling the elections undemocratic, it is everyone's right to express their views. So many views are expressed around the world every day, but only those views that carry a bit of truth, reality and justice will be taken seriously.
I think that the situation of the leaders of the regime occupying Quds [Jerusalem] is too well-known for me to try to say something to other nations about it... Those individuals are the root cause of insecurity throughout the Middle East. They do not have the right to impose their views on others.
Peaceful nuclear technology is the product of scientific progress by the young people of this country. The Iranian nation has the right to advance in all peaceful scientific fields and have access to all facilities. We need this technology in the fields of energy, medicine and engineering and for our scientific progress and will continue pursuing it.
We will continue negotiations with the Europeans with the aim of safeguarding our national interests and emphasising the right of the Iranian nation to use peaceful nuclear energy.
Liberty is the very essence of the Islamic nation... We do not confine freedom to just two limited categories. We believe that there are 360 degrees of freedom. That means, the freedom to get involved in political, economic and cultural affairs, as well as in the running of the country... We are also truly concerned about certain powers' violation of human rights in the world. Today we are really concerned about the violation of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Europe.
Women play the most important role in Iran... My government will make decisions on merit. Gender boundaries will not influence my decision [on positions in the cabinet] at all.
One of the main topics of our economic policy is the expansion of foreign and domestic investment... We will especially use our dear Iranians [currently living abroad] who are ready to take part in developing their country... The stock market will definitely be promoted, but of course there should be some reforms.
We cannot shut the doors to the country... We have a strong culture and we should allow it to grow.
source - news.bbc.co.uk
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