Tehran, July 27 (DPA) His political opponents accuse him of electoral fraud and refuse to recognise his re-election as president. People on the streets signal their resentment towards him with calls of 'Death to the dictator'. Abroad, the Iranian leader is persona non grata.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's only hope lies with his allies in parliament and in particular, the Islamic republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But even they are now no longer one hundred percent behind him.

Behind the recent upset is the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie as vice president. Ahmadinejad wanted Rahim-Mashaie, his son's father-in-law, as his first choice as deputy. But Rahim-Mashaie had fallen out of favour within the government and opposition when he called Iran a friend of the Israeli people.

Ahmadinejad ignored demands from within his own camp to rethink the appointment, and parliament then took the case to the supreme leader. Khamenei ordered the president to promptly dismiss Rahim-Mashaie. But for an entire week, Ahmadinejad ignored the instruction from the constitutional head who has final say on all state affairs.

Rahim-Mashaie eventually announced his own resignation.

'It is amazing that the president did not act immediately (on the instruction of Khamenei),' said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the parliamentary committee for foreign policy and national security.

Another parliamentarian warned, 'This will have negative consequences for (Ahmadinejad) in the future.'

The clergy also provided criticism. 'Such an instruction must be followed immediately, without hesitation,' Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who belongs to the pro-Ahmadinejad camp, said.