predecessor successor religion birth_place president party office birth_date term_start spouse signature image article_title term_end name alma_mater
gholam-hossein elham reza sheykholeslam parviz davoodi hossein marashi mohammad nahavandian hamid baqai mohammad-reza rahimi hamid baqai twelver shia islam ramsar , iran mahmoud ahmadinejad mahmoud ahmadinejad mahmoud ahmadinejad alliance of builders chief of presidential center first vice president of iran head of of cultural heritage and tourism organization staff of the president of iran head 16 november 1960 30 4 august 2005 july 2009 19 september 2009 17 july 2009 zabihian langeroudi esfandiar-e rahim mashaei signature.png mashai russia june 2009.jpg esfandiar rahim mashaei
 3 17 july 2009 august 2013 9 april 2011 25 july 2009 esfandiar rahim mashaei اسفندیار رحیم مشایی isfahan university of technology
esfandiar rahim mashaei

esfandiar rahim mashaei -lrb- ; born 16 november 1960 -rrb- is an iranian politician .
as a senior cabinet member in the administration of president mahmoud ahmadinejad , he served as chief of staff from 2009 to 2013 , and as the first vice president of iran for one week in 2009 until his resignation was ordered by supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei .
a close ally of president ahmadinejad , mashaei was viewed by many iranian clerics as an anti-establishment activist and secular-oriented nationalist .
he has been criticized by religious conservatives for alleged `` deviant tendencies , '' such as elevating iranian heritage and nationalism above islam as well as for statements he has made criticizing the assembly of experts and the theocratic doctrine of the guardianship of the islamic jurists , and advocating for the clergy to remove themselves from the political establishment .
he has also been called a pragmatic , moderate conservative with `` liberal views on cultural and social issues . ''
on 11 may 2013 , with the public support and endorsement of outgoing president ahmadinejad , mashaei announced that he would run for the presidency in the upcoming election .
however , his application to run was disqualified by the guardian council , which must approve all potential candidates , as well as the final election results .
ahmadinejad protested the disqualification and referred to the guardian council 's decision as an act of `` oppression . ''
