Iran Appoints Mohammad Mokhber as Acting President

Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, has been appointed as the country’s acting President following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The announcement was made on Monday by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The helicopter, which was carrying Raisi, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan province, and other officials and bodyguards, crashed in the mountainous region of the country’s northwest on Sunday. After an hours-long search, the wreckage was found on Monday in north-western Iran.

In his condolence message for Raisi’s death, Khamenei announced that Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would assume interim duties. The Supreme Leader also declared a five-day mourning period. “In accordance with Article 131 of the constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,” Khamenei stated. He further explained that Mokhber must prepare for presidential elections, coordinating with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches, “within a maximum period of 50 days.”

According to the Iranian Constitution, the Vice President assumes power with the Supreme Leader’s assent if the President dies, and a new presidential election must be called within 50 days. Iran was initially scheduled to hold its presidential election in 2025.

President Raisi was on the border with Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. His helicopter made a “hard landing” near Jolfa, close to the border with Azerbaijan. Several global leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have expressed their condolences on Raisi’s demise.

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