As Ahmadinejad begins second term political splits threaten his future

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s inauguration marked an inauspicious beginning of his second term in office, as political divisions within the ruling elite continued to deepen, to the extent that forming a new cabinet could prove difficult for the embattled head of government. Until 12 June apparently the master of his political arena, Ahmadinejad now seems unable to do anything right – as was underlined last month when he caused outrage among conservative ranks by appointing Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as first vice president, a nepotistic move which further diminished his already damaged authority.