Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took over the post as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Wednesday morning as the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei granted warrant to him.

Khamenei expressed his congratulations to the Iranian people for their vote in June and said, "I confirm that vote and name Mr. Ahmadinejad president of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

With Khamenei's confirmation, Ahmadinejad officially took the post from his predecessor Mohammad Khatami.

The ceremony, held in Khamenei's residence in central Tehran, was also attended by Khatami, Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel and other senior officials.

According to the rules of the Islamic Republic, Wednesday's ceremony marked the beginning of the new president's assumption of power, but he will also be sworn in at another inauguration held on Saturday in the Majilis.

Ahmadinejad, the 49-year-old former Tehran mayor, defeated former president Rafsanjani with a victory of 61.69 percent of the total eligible votes in the ninth presidential election in June.

He is the first non-cleric to hold the post. Being the sixth president of the Islamic Republic since 1981, he will serve a four-year term.

Ahmadinejad earned his positive reputation from the merits of improving the traffic condition and stabilizing prices in the sprawling and polluted capital city.

He was regarded as ultra-conservative and held a uncompromising attitudes toward the nuclear issue and the relations with the United States.

At his first press conference after being elected, Ahmadinejad said his cabinet would "never give up Iran's legal rights under any circumstances" and would have no intention to improve the relations with the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2005)