Abolhassan Banisadr secured 75.6 percent of the vote in the January 1980 election to become the inaugural president of Iran. An economist and writer who participated in the student movement against the Shah, he emerged as a critical figure during the revolutionary transition, only to face impeachment and exile within eighteen months of taking office.
Early Political Engagement and Education
Born in 1933 in Hamadan, Banisadr pursued studies in law, theology, and sociology at the University of Tehran. His opposition to the Shah led to multiple arrests during the 1960s. He eventually sought refuge in France, furthering his academic work in finance and economics at the University of Paris. During this exile, he authored works such as his text on Islamic finance, while leading the Islamic Association of Students.
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Following an encounter with Ruhollah Khomeini in Iraq, Banisadr returned to Iran in 1979. He assumed several key administrative roles within the nascent revolutionary government, serving as Deputy Minister of Finance and later as a member of the Council of the Islamic Revolution. By late 1979, he held both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance portfolios, where he voiced opposition to the ongoing American embassy hostage crisis.
The Presidency and War
As president, Banisadr navigated severe domestic instability and the onset of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. His tenure involved managing the release of the American hostages in early 1981 and overseeing military responses to the border conflict, during which he survived two helicopter crashes. These actions occurred amidst a deepening internal struggle with the Islamic Republican Party, which controlled the parliamentary agenda.
Impeachment and Flight
The power struggle reached a climax in June 1981 when the Islamic Consultative Assembly filed articles of impeachment against him. Stripped of his role as commander-in-chief by Khomeini, Banisadr went into hiding in Tehran before escaping the country. He fled on an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezi, landing in Paris to receive political asylum. He subsequently co-founded the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Fast facts
- Born: 1933, Hamadan
- Died: 2021, 13th arrondissement of Paris
- Presidency: 1980-1981
- Foreign Affairs Minister: 1979
- Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance: 1979-1980
- Education: University of Tehran; University of Paris
- Burial: Cimetière des Gonards
- Languages: French, English, Persian
Questions readers ask
What led to the impeachment of Abolhassan Banisadr?
Increasing tensions with the Islamic Republican Party over human rights, government corruption, and media censorship led to an impeachment move supported by Khomeini in June 1981.
Where did Banisadr live after leaving Iran?
He fled to France, where he was granted political asylum and resided until his death in 2021.
Achievements
- Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran (1979–1979)
- President of Iran (1980–1981)
- Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance (1979–1980)
- president
- Educated at University of Paris and University of Tehran
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