Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to a landslide victory in Iran's 9th presidential race on June 24.

        Who is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's new president?

        Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born in Garmsar, southeast of Tehran in 1956. Son of a blacksmith, Mahmoud and his family migrated to Tehran when he was one-year-old.

        He got his diploma and was admitted to the University of Science and Technology in the field of civil engineering after he ranked 130th in the nationwide university entrance exams in 1975.

        He was accepted as an MS student at the same university in 1986 and got his PH.D. in 1987 in the field of engineering and traffic transportation planning.

        With the start of the Iraqi imposed war in 1980, Ahmadinejad rushed to the western fronts to fight against the enemy and voluntarily joined special forces of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps (IRGC) in 1986.

        He already served as governor of Maku and Khoy cities in the northwestern West Azarbaijan province for four years in the 80s and as an advisor to the governor general of the western province of Kurdestan for two years.

        While serving as the cultural advisor to then Ministry of Culture and Higher Education in 1993, he was appointed as governor general of the newly established northwestern province of Ardebil.

        He was elected as the exemplary governor general for three consecutive years.

        Ahmadinejad ended his service as Ardebil governor general in 1997 and became a member of the scientific board of the Civil Engineering College of University of Science and Technology.

        He carried out several scientific, cultural, political and social activities.

        He was elected as Tehran mayor in 2003 by Tehran City Council.

(IRNA)