Iran’s top vetting body confirms Mokhber as interim president after Raisi’s death

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iran’s influential decision-making body, the Guardian Council, has confirmed that Mohammad Mokhber will take over as interim president for a 50-day period after the Supreme Leader’s approval.

Mokhber, who served as the first vice president under Ebrahim Raisi, will carry out the presidential responsibilities until the next elections are held, in line with the country’s constitution.

Tahaz Nazif, a spokesperson for the Guardian Council, a 12-member constitutionally-mandated vetting body, said the first vice president takes over when the president in office dies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s consent.

Referring to Khamenei’s remarks on Sunday that “no disruption” will happen in the functioning of the country in the wake of the helicopter crash that killed Raisi and his accompanying delegation in northwestern Iran, Nazif said all matters in such situations are enshrined in the country’s law.

“It is true that we lost the president and other servants in this accident, but as the Leader said, there will be no disruption in the level of service to our noble people, and the constitution has provisions for such situations,” he added.

As per Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution, the first vice president – in this case Mohammad Mokhber – will assume the charge as the new president for the next 50 days.

During this time, a council comprising the first vice president himself, the speaker of the parliament, and the chief of the judiciary will make arrangements for holding new presidential elections.

Nazif said in such situations, “the administration of the country is entrusted to the first vice president with the approval of the Supreme Leader, and the first vice president practically assumes the powers of the president.”

He said the new president has been informed about the necessary matters and his interim presidency began yesterday (Sunday) and will last 50 days.

On the tenure of the new government, considering the fact that the Raisi government’s tenure would have ended next year, the Guardian Council spokesman said the issue will be discussed by the body.

Mokhber, who was chosen by Raisi as his first deputy in the 2021 presidential election, previously headed the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO), a high-profile body administered by the Supreme Leader’s office.

His high-profile position at the EIKO between 2007 and 2021 was the highlight of his career that made him popular in the political circles of the country.

It remains unclear who will be the potential conservative candidate in the new elections, but Mokhber and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf are two names that are being talked about.