office . Khamenei 's endorsement is the first step in that process . On Wednesday , Ahmadinejad will take the oath of office before Parliament . But he will begin his second term in a deeply fractured Iran , one in which the conservative leader finds himself under assault from the legions of pro-democracy supporters and the nation 's powerful clerical establishment . Given the unprecedented fissures in Iranian society , some longtime scholars and observers now doubt whether Ahmadinejad will finish his second term in office . Some question whether the clerical establishment will sacrifice him in order to save the Islamic republic . Ahmadinejad 's main political problem is `` legitimacy , '' said Alex Vatanka , senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane 's , a provider of defense and security information . `` Can you operate for four years with huge questions over whether you are the rightful president ? '' Vatanka said . `` I think that would undermine everything he does . '' Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of Iran 's June 12 election , but thousands took to the streets in the aftermath to protest what they believed was a rigged vote .
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four years ago , Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei kissed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the cheek before he was sworn in as Iran 's new leader . Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be in for a rocky second term as Iranian president , analysts say . Song and prayer heralded a new start for Iran with the hard-line Tehran mayor , virtually unknown to the outside world in 2005 . He promised to stamp out corruption and fight for justice . With time , the world came to know the Iranian leader with his signature beige jacket and combative -- often anti-Israeli -- rhetoric . Monday , Iran 's supreme leader endorsed Ahmadinejad for a second term in office , but there was no hug or kiss this time around . Video from the event shows Ahmadinejad leaning toward Khamenei before the supreme leader raises his left hand to block him , leaving Ahmadinejad to gingerly kiss the cleric 's robe . The awkward scene seemed to only bolster the tensions that have emerged in the once strong relationship . Under Iran 's constitution , the incoming president must receive the supreme leader 's approval before being sworn into