Iran’s vice president Mokhber replaces Raisi as interim president

In less than 48 hours to the tragedy that saw the death of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, power has been transferred to Mohammad Mokhber, the vice president.

Mokhber assumed interim duties following the tragic death of the president on Sunday.

According to the country’s constitution, new elections must be held to fill the vacant seat. This will see Mokhber work with the legislature and judiciary to conduct an election within the next 50 days.

“We will follow the path of Raisi in doing the duties entrusted without any disruptions,” the interim president was quoted to have said according to a state media report.

Mokhber was appointed first vice president by Raisi in August 2021, shortly after the late president took office.

Unlike other countries, Iran’s first vice presidency is an appointed – not elected – position that 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, each taking on different aspects of executive affairs but operating mostly like a cabinet.

Mokhber was top among the vice presidents. This position has made him travel across the country to inaugurate a variety of government development projects and accompanied Raisi or led delegations himself on many foreign trips.

Raisi died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of north-western Iran. The aircraft came down close to the border with Azerbaijan, where Raisi had been meeting President Ilham Aliyev.

It was gathered that the late president was there to open the Qiz Qalasi and Khoda Afarin dams but was met with a crash that took his life.

Raisi was tipped to replace 85-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, making him wield more power.

With a fresh election underway, many top governmental officials will continue to show loyalty to the supreme leader to seek his approval in the formation of a new cabinet.