Mohammad Saeedikia


Mohammad Saeedikia is an Iranian politician who is the former head of Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan, from 2014 to 2019.
He served as government minister in different cabinets, the last of which was minister of housing and urban development from 2005 to 2009.

Early life and education

Saeedikia was born in Isfahan in 1946. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then he obtained a master's degree in civil engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.

Career

Saeedikia was the chairman of the urban planning and development corporation. Then he became deputy chief of the economic branch of the foundation of deprived. Later he served in most of the cabinets formed since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. His first cabinet post was the minister of roads and transportation. He held this post firstly in the cabinet of the then prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi from 1985 to 1989. He was also in office in the cabinet of the then-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from 1989 to 1993. On 29 August 1989, Saeedikia was approved by the Majlis with 195 for and 43 against votes. His tenure lasted until 1993.
When Mohammad Khatami became president in 1997, Saeedikia was named minister of construction. He was in office from 1997 to 2000. Then he served as presidential advisor to Khatami from 2000 to 2005.
On 24 August 2005, then new president Ahmadinejad appointed him the minister of housing and urban development. Saeedikia won the highest for votes at the Majlis, being given 222 votes for by 284 majlis members. His term ended in 2009. He also served as the head of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development from May 2008 to August 2009. In January 2010, he was appointed the deputy head of the Pars Oil Company.
He is currently head of the Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan, the second-largest commercial enterprise in Iran and biggest holding company in the Middle East.

Candidacy for 2013 elections

Saeedikia was the first officially announced candidate for the 2013 presidential election in Iran. He announced his candidacy in December 2012. Due to his career, he was considered to be a traditionalist principlist candidate, but in fact he was an independent and technocrat candidate. Saeedikia was also one of the dark horse candidates. His nomination was rejected by Guardian Council on 21 May 2013.