Following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, Iran’s Supreme Leader declared five days of national mourning and appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as the interim president. Additionally, Iran is required to hold a presidential election within 50 days to elect Raisi’s successor.
If a president dies in office, the Islamic Republic’s constitution says that the first vice president takes over for an interim period of 50 days, with the approval of the Supreme Leader, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran.
“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” Khamenei said in a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.
“… Mokhber will manage the executive branch and is obliged to arrange with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches to elect a new president within a maximum of 50 days,” he said.
According to Article 131 of Iran’s constitution, a council consisting of the first vice president, the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary must prepare the way for the election of a new president.
Mokhber, like Raisi, is seen as close to Khamenei, who has the last say in all matters of state. Mokhber became first vice president in 2021 when Raisi was elected president.
On Monday, state television reported that Iran’s three branches of government convened for an extraordinary meeting. First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber attended on behalf of the executive branch after the helicopter crash that resulted in the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
“We will follow the path of President Raisi in fulfilling assigned duties without any interruption,” Mokhber said.
The three branches to which state TV referred are the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
