Mohammad-Reza Bahonar (Persian: محمدرضا باهنر) was the conservative First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran. He is a representative from Kerman.
In previous parliaments, he has been elected as a representative from Kerman and Tehran. He is considered a key member of the conservative alliance, and was considered a possible candidate for the post of the speaker or the leader of the conservative faction in the parliament. He later refused to run for the post of speaker possibly because of a deal made inside the conservative alliance, so he decided to run for the post of deputy speaker. He became the First Deputy Speaker for one year on June 6, 2004 with 188 votes out of 259. The other running candidate for the post of deputy speaker was Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard, a representative from Qazvin who became the second vice speaker with 173 votes. He was in office until May 26, 2010. He was re-elected as his position in 26 May 2011.
Bahonar, also the Leader of the Islamic Society of Engineers, backs commercial capitalism, and represents the technocrats of the conservative alliance. He believes in a free economy, but controlled cultural and political activities. He has mentioned that he prefers Iran to get involved in commerce, but not industry.
Mohammad Reza is the brother of Mohammad Javad Bahonar, the Former Prime Minister of Iran who was assassinated in 1981.
Read more about Mohammad-Reza Bahonar: Attacking Iranian University Students