Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Persian: محمود احمدی نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadinezhād mæhmuːd-e æhmædiː-neʒɒːd (help·info); born 28 October 1956)[1][2] is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on August 6, 2005, after winning the 2005 presidential election.[3] Ahmadinejad became the first president of the Islamic Republic in twenty-four years who was not a religious cleric.[4] Despite his title, he is not the most powerful official in Iran; that role belongs to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Article 113 of Constitution of Iran. [5] Prior to becoming president, Ahmadinejad was mayor of Tehran and governor general of Iran's Ardabil Province. Ahmadinejad has been a critic of the US and Israel, and backs strengthening Iran's relations with Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and the Persian Gulf states.[6][7][8] On Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad has said it is for peaceful purposes. For that stated reason and others, Iran has refused to end nuclear enrichment despite United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for it to do so.[9] Ahmadinejad argues that the sanctions imposed by the West over Iran's nuclear enrichment are illegal and that Iran will continue to abide by International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring of its nuclear program.[10] Ahmadinejad has also called for the dissolution of the state of Israel,[11][12] and calls for free elections in the region. He believes that the Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region's future.[13][14] One of Ahmadinejad's most controversial statements was one in which, according to the initial Islamic Republic News Agency translation, he called for the \"occupying regime\" to be \"wiped off the map,\" though the translation and interpretation of the comment is disputed.[15][16] He has also been condemned for describing the Holocaust as a myth,[15][17] which has led to accusations of anti-semitism; the interpretation of this quote is also disputed.[18] In response to these criticisms, Ahmadinejad said “No, I am not against Jews, I respect them very much.”[19] Ahmadinejad also clarified, \"I'm not saying that [the Holocaust] didn't happen at all. This is not the judgment that I'm passing here.\"[20] During his presidency, Ahmadinejad launched a gas rationing plan to reduce the country's fuel consumption. He also instituted cuts in the interest rates that private and public banking facilities could charge.[21][22][23] He issued a directive, according to which the Management and Planning Organization should be affiliated to the government.[24]