Iran's president-elect Pezeshkian to be sworn in next month

TEHRAN: Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian will be sworn in before parliament in early August as the Islamic republic’s ninth president, state media reported Sunday.

“The swearing-in ceremony of the president will be held on August 4 or 5,” said the official IRNA news agency, quoting Mojtaba Yosefi, a member of parliament’s presiding board.

“The president will have 15 days to present his proposed ministers to the parliament for a vote of confidence.”

Iranian presidents-elect are required to take an oath before parliament before officially taking office.

The swearing-in ceremony takes place after the president-elect receives an official endorsement by the Islamic republic’s supreme leader.

Iran’s president is not head of state, and the ultimate authority rests with the supreme leader — a post held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the last 35 years.

Pezeshkian won a runoff election on Friday against the conservative Saeed Jalili to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.

The 69-year-old reformist secured more than 16 million votes, around 54 percent, with Jalili winning more than 13 million, roughly 44 percent, out of about 30 million votes cast.

Turnout was 49.8 percent, Eslami added, up from a record low of about 40 percent in the first round.

On Sunday, Iranian newspapers published front-page photos of Pezeshkian and called for “unity” under the president-elect.