Hardliner Ibrahim Raisi announces Iran’s new president | Middle East News

The head of the Conservative Party’s judiciary, Ibrahim Raisi, will take office in early August to succeed the moderate President Hassan Rouhani.

Tehran, Iran – Conservative judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi has been elected Iran’s eighth president, the interior ministry has announced.

The ministry confirmed on Saturday that Raisi won 61.95% of the vote with 48.8% of the vote, which is the lowest turnout in the presidential election since the 1979 revolution. Raisi received 28,933,004 votes.

Invalid ballots won the second place with 3,726,870 votes, which is the first time since the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

Former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei won third place in Friday’s election with 3,412,712 votes, followed by moderate candidate Abdolnasswer Hemmati with 2,427,201 votes, and conservative Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi with 999,718 votes.

“We did not have any irregularities that would have a significant impact on the election results,” Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli said at a press conference.

Rezaei, Hemmati and Hashemi Already admitted Before the announcement on Saturday.

Raisi will take office in early August to succeed Hassan Rouhani, a moderate president who is not allowed by the constitution for a third consecutive term.

“I congratulate people for their choice,” Rouhani said Saturday.

Raisi’s election marked the consolidation of conservative and hard-line camps, which already control the parliament and may also replace the judiciary.

The Muslim scholar who wears a black headscarf that he is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad of Islam is also regarded as the next highest leader of the country.

Raisi has become the first Iranian president to be sanctioned by the United States before taking office in 2019.

The United States blacklisted him because of his role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, his participation in the suppression of the 2009 Green Movement protests, and the “supervision and management of the execution of minors during crimes.”

Raisi grew up in the northeastern city of Mashhad, which is an important religious center for Shia Muslims. Imam Reza, the eighth leader of Shia religion, was buried here.

He studied at the seminary in Qom and studied under some of Iran’s most famous Muslim scholars, including the Supreme Leader Ali Husseini Khamenei.

After becoming a prosecutor in multiple jurisdictions, Raisi moved to the capital Tehran in 1985 after being appointed as a deputy prosecutor.

After being promoted in the judicial system, he was appointed by the Supreme Leader in March 2016 as the guardian of Astan-e Quds Razavi, an influential shrine for Imam Reza. There he controls billions of dollars in assets.

He failed to run for president with Rouhani in 2017 and won 38% of the vote.

“Corrupt opponent”

Resie has Pledged to improve Iran’s economy, which is troubled by U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, which has exacerbated decades-long infrastructure problems caused by local mismanagement.

Although previously opposed to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, Raisi said in a presidential debate earlier this month that he would uphold this landmark agreement like any other country promised.

However, he did point out that he would form a “strong” government to steer the agreement in the right direction.