[1] Mr. Khoshchehreh, an economist and urban planner, appeared frequently in public on behalf of Mr. Ahmadinejad, criticizing the economic performance of his main opponent, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president.

Less than three years later, with parliamentary elections coming up on Friday, many other former supporters have also become critics, and there is much anger over unemployment, inflation and fuel shortages in this oil-rich country.

Unlike some of the somber clerics or Islamic conservatives, he smiles easily, wears short sleeves and holds a black belt in judo.

But Mr. Khoshchehreh refers to the supreme religious leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on all state matters, with the utmost respect.

He said that a principlist was a politician “who was loyal to his principles and did not sacrifice national interests for the sake of his party’s interests.” Mr. Khoshchehreh was one of the critics of Mr. Ahmadinejad's budget in Parliament in February.

“But if these hopes are not materialized, the bubble bursts and the consequences are disastrous.” Mr. Khoshchehreh began expressing his concerns about the president as early as October 2005, three months after Mr. Ahmadinejad took office.

Last year, he said in an interview with the ISNA news agency that he worried that the perception among many Iranians that Mr. Ahmadinejad had failed as president would leave people disappointed with religion.