How Iran President’s Death Shakes Up Betting on Next Supreme Leader
Source: Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran/Getty Images
With the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash May 19, the country is scheduled to elect a new head of government in voting June 28. Raisi’s death has perhaps greater consequences for the future of a more important post, in that he was expected to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 84, Iran’s supreme leader, one of the most powerful positions in the Middle East.
The supreme leader, known as the velayat-e faqih in Shiite Islamic theology, is the ultimate ruler in Iran and is responsible for making all major decisions concerning the state. The holder of the position, established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is the head of state and commander in chief.