Mokhber approved as Iran’s interim president

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday (May 20) approved the name of First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as an interim president following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

Khamenei said that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is in charge of the executive branch and has a maximum period of 50 days to hold elections following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

Five days of national mourning have been declared by Khamenei.

According to the Iranian Constitution, in case of the president’s death or incapacity, the first vice president will take over and assume the functions of the president until an election is held within a maximum period of 50 days.

Unlike other countries, Iran’s first vice presidency is an appointed position – not an elected one. The vice president assumed some of the powers of the prime minister after the position was abolished in 1989.

There are several appointed vice presidents serving concurrently in Iran – they mostly work as cabinet members. But the office Mokhber holds is considered first among equals.

Raisi appointed Mokhber as his first vice president in August 2021, shortly after taking office. He is the seventh person to serve in that role since the revision of the constitution.

Before his appointment to the vice presidency, Mokhber served for 14 years as head of Iran’s Setad, a powerful economic conglomerate mostly focused on charitable causes.