Hamid Baqai

Hamid Baqai حميد بقایی
Head of Presidential Center of Iran
In office 9 April 2011 – 4 August 2013
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded by	Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Succeeded by	Mohammad Nahavandian (as Chief of Staff)
Vice President of Iran Head of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization
In office 2009–2011
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded by	Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Succeeded by	Ruhollah Ahmadzadeh
Vice President of Iran for Executive Affairs
In office 2009–2013
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Succeeded by	Mohammad Shariatmadari
Personal details
Born	(1969-04-06) 6 April 1969 Gilan, Iran
Political party	Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran
Alma mater	Iran University of Science and Technology
Religion	Shia Islam

Hamid Baqai (Persian: حميد بقایی‎‎; born 6 April 1969) is an Iranian politician who was the head of presidential center from 9 April 2011 until 3 August 2013.^[1] He has been described as a pragmatic, moderate conservative with "liberal views on cultural and social issues."^[2] He was also a senior adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Early life and education

Baqai was born on 6 April 1969 in Gilan, Iran. He was raised in Lahijan City of Gilan. He holds a bachelor's degree from Isfahan University of Technology in management.

Political career

Baqai was appointed deputy head of cultural heritage and tourism organization on 24 August 2005 by Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. When Mashaei became first vice president of Iran in July 2009, he was appointed as head of organization and was in office until 9 April 2011 when he became head of presidential center of Iran and succeeded Rahim Mashaei again.

On 21 May 2011, he was banned from public offices for four years because he was exposed as having a part in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement during the construction of a building in Kish Island.^[1] The building was planned for the summit of countries of the Non-aligned movement. The paper said Baqai had paid the contractor roughly $340 million in addition to the initial amount on the contract. State-run media revealed that the contractor, Fiak Company, was founded by a regime-affiliated individual abroad on the recommendation of Baqai and Mashaei. The company was started by officially declaring $1,000 in its holdings.

References

External links

• Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Ahmadinejad grooms chief-of-staff to take over as Iran's president, The Guardian, 21 April 2011

Cabinet of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005–2013)
Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki (2005–2010) Ali Akbar Salehi (2010–2013) Minister of Agriculture Mohammad-Reza Eskandari (2005–2009) Sadeq Khalilian (2009–2013) Minister of Communications and IT Mohammad Soleimani (2005–2009) Reza Taghipour (2009–2013) Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Mohammad Jahromi (2005–2009) Reza Sheykholeslam (2009–2011) Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Hossein Saffar Harandi (2005–2009) Mohammad Hosseini (2009–2013) Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar (2005–2009) Ahmad Vahidi (2009–2013) Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh-Jafari (2005–2008) Shamseddin Hosseini (2008–2013) Minister of Education Mahmoud Farshidi (2005–2007) Alireza Ali-Ahmadi (2007–2009) Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee (2009–2013) Minister of Energy Parviz Fattah (2005–2009) Majid Namjoo (2009–2013) Minister of Health and Medical Education Kamran Bagheri Lankarani (2005–2009) Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi (2009–2013) Hassan Tarighat Monfared (2013) Minister of Industries and Mines Alireza Tahmasbi (2005–2007) Aliakbar Mehrabian (2007–2011) Minister of Intelligence Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i (2005–2009) Heydar Moslehi (2009–2013) Minister of Interior Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi (2005–2008) Ali Kordan (2008) Sadegh Mahsouli (2008–2009) Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar (2009–2013) Minister of Justice Jamal Karimi-Rad (2005–2006) Gholam-Hossein Elham (2006–2009) Morteza Bakhtiari (2009–2013) Minister of Petroleum Kazem Vaziri (2005–2007) Gholam-Hossein Nozari (2007–2009) Masoud Mir-Kazemi (2009–2011) Rostam Ghasemi (2011–2013) Minister of Roads and Transportation Mohammad Rahmati (2005–2008) Hamid Behbahani (2008–2011) Commerce Masoud Mir-Kazemi (2005–2009) Mehdi Ghazanfari (2009–2011) Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (2005–2009) Kamran Daneshjoo (2009–2013) Minister of Welfare and Social Security Parviz Kazemi (2005) Abdulreza Mesri (2005–2009) Sadegh Mahsouli (2009–2011) Ministry of Cooperatives Mohammad Ardakani (2005–2006) Mohammad Abbasi (2006–2011) Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedikia (2005–2009) Ali Nikzad (2009–2011) Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mohammad Abbasi (2011–2013) Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Welfare Reza Sheykholeslam (2011–2013) Asadollah Abbasi (2013) Minister of Industries and Business Mehdi Ghazanfari (2011–2013) Minister of Transportation and Housing Ali Nikzad (2011–2013)
Cabinet-level First Vice President Parviz Davoodi (2005–2009) Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2009) Mohammad-Reza Rahimi (2009–2013) Chief of Staff Gholam-Hossein Elham (2005–2006) Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2009–2012) Mir-Hassan Mousavi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Atomic Energy Organization Gholam Reza Aghazadeh (2005–2009) Ali Akbar Salehi (2009–2010) Mohammad Ahmadian (2010–2011) Fereydoon Abbasi (2011–2013) Vice President and Head of Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2005–2009) Hamid Baqai (2009–2011) Ruhollah Ahmadzadeh (2011–2012) Mir-Hassan Mousavi (2012) Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Environmental Protection Organization Fatemeh Javadi (2005–2009) Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh (2009–2013) Vice President and Head of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Hossein Dehghan (2005–2009) Masoud Zaribafan (2009–2007) Vice President and Head of Management and Planning Organization of Iran Farhad Rahbar (2005–2006) Amir-Mansour Borgheie (2006–2007) Vice President for Supervision and Strategic Affairs Amir-Mansour Borgheie (2007–2009) Ebrahim Azizi (2009–2012) Behrouz Moradi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Physical Education Organization Mohammad Aliabadi (2005–2009) Ali Saeidlou (2009–2011) Vice President for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Seyyed Ahmad Mousavi (2005–2008) Majid Jafarzadeh* (2008) Mohammad-Reza Rahimi (2008–2009) Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Reza Mirtajodini (2009–2012) Lotfollah Forouzandeh (2012–2013) Vice President for Legal Affairs Fatemeh Bodaghi (2009–2013) Vice President for Management and Human Resources Development Lotfollah Forouzandeh (?–2012) Ebrahim Azizi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of National Elites Foundation Parviz Davoodi (2005–2006) Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh (2006–2009) Nasrin Soltankhah (2009–2013) Vice President and Head of National Youth Organization Javad Haj Aliakbari (2005–2009) Mehrdad Bazrpash (2009–2010) Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Maryam Mojtahedzadeh (2013) Vice President for Executive Affairs Hamid Baqai (2011–2013)
* Acting