Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to leave politics after his second term expires in early 2013, he told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in comments to be published Sunday. "Eight years are enough," Ahmadinejad told the newspaper, which released highlights of the interview Saturday. "I plan to go back into academia."
Ahmadinejad, 55, is an hydraulic construction engineer who was awarded a doctorate in 1997 for his research into transport systems. "Maybe I'll get involved politically at the university, but I'm not going to found any political party or grouping."
Iran's constitution bans him from a third term following two consecutive terms. He ruled out standing aside for another candidate and then seeking a third term in a few years, as was recently done by Russian President Vladimir Putin.