PROFILE - Mohammad Mokhber: Iran’s acting president until fresh vote

TEHRAN

Mohammad Mokhber, who has served as the first vice president since 2021, will take over as the new president of Iran for a period of 50 days.

With the confirmation of the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in a chopper crash in the mountains of northwestern Iran, his deputy is set to take the helm now.

According to the Iranian Constitution, the first vice president assumes the charge in the event of the death of the sitting president of the country for 50 days.

During this period of 50 days, a temporary presidential council comprising the first vice president, the speaker of parliament, and the chief of the judiciary will work together to hold a fresh presidential vote.

Mokhber, who was chosen by Raisi to be his first deputy following his landslide win in the 2021 presidential elections, previously headed the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO), also known as Setad, a social welfare organization under the direct control of the Supreme Leader’s office.

His high-profile position at the EIKO between 2007 and 2021 was the highlight of his career that made him popular in the political circles of the country.

Before that, he also served as the chairman of the board at Sina Bank, a private banking institution, as well as the deputy governor of southern Khuzestan province.

Mokhber was also active during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, when he served as a volunteer with the medical corps of the Iranian armed forces.

In July 2010, he was put on the sanctions list by the European Union as the president of EIKO over alleged involvement in “nuclear and ballistic missile activities.” He was removed from the list two years later.

It remains unclear who will be the potential conservative candidate in the new elections, but Mokhber, and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are the favorites.

Mokhber, considered close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, might have an edge over Ghalibaf, whose unimpressive show in recent parliamentary elections will not go in his favor.