Following the tragic demise of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024 afternoon, heads of the three branches of the Iranian government have agreed on a date, June 28 for snap presidential elections in the country, a media agency reported. The date was confirmed during a meeting held at the Presidency Office in Tehran, after a news report cited Iranian media.
The meeting was attended by Iran’s Head of the Executive Branch Mohammad Mokhber, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. This session marked the second meeting between the three officials within hours following President Raisi’s tragic death in a helicopter crash incident in East Azerbaijan province.
As per Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution, the country’s top three officials are mandated to arrange presidential elections within 50 days following the death or incapacitation of the incumbent president. According to one media agency, the meeting which was held on May 20, 2024, witnessed the presence of the Iranian deputy president for legal affairs Mohammad Dehghan, deputy chairman of the Guardian Council Siamak Rahpeykand, and deputy interior minister for political affairs Mohammad Taghi Shahcheraghi.
A timetable was set for the elections, allowing hopefuls to register from May 30 to June 3, with candidates launching their campaigns for 15 days starting June 12. The helicopter carrying Raisi and his entourage crashed around afternoon on Sunday as it was on its way to Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan, from a location on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan where the Iranian president had opened a major dam project.
Rescuers found the wreckage of the helicopter early on Monday after hours of extensive search, which involved more than 70 teams. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and two senior provincial officials along with crew members and bodyguards also died as a result of the crash. Following this, country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has announced five days of national mourning in Iran, according to a media agency.
Khamenei declared the same in a message on Monday and stated that he received the “bitter news” of the death of his “companions with great sorrow.” “Dear Raisi did not know fatigue,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding that the Iranian nation lost a sincere and valuable servant in this tragic incident, according to a media agency.
