PM Shehbaz to attend new Iranian president’s inauguration ceremony

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Tehran on Tuesday to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian president-elect Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the Islamic Republic’s presidential run-off election earlier this month.

According to a statement issued here, PM Shehbaz’s visit underscores the commitment by the two countries to strengthen leadership engagement and bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei gave his official endorsement of Masoud Pezeshkian as ninth Iranian president, following snap elections. The new president will be sworn in before parliament on Tuesday.

During the ceremony, Khamenei handed over a decree, known as the “decree of confirmation” or “decree of validation”, to the president-elect, formally recognising him as the legitimate president.

In fact, the official government news website, IRNA, used the word “approved” for Khamenei’s endorsement of Pezeshkian as President, who is considered to be the chief executive from today, July 28. Therefore, the second inauguration ceremony in the parliament in two days, is indeed a ceremonial swearing-in.

The Tanfiz ceremony will be followed by Tahlif slated for Tuesday, when Pezeshkian swears in before the parliament. During Tahlif, the newly elected president takes an oath before the Parliament (Majlis) in the presence of the head of the judiciary and the members of the Guardian Council, promising to uphold the constitution and faithfully execute his duties as the head of state.

According to IRNA, over 2,500 attendees are expected, including national and military officials, heads and professors from religious and academic institutions, representatives from various sectors, families of martyrs, and foreign ambassadors stationed in Tehran.

The state media also said that 70 foreign delegations from different countries and international organizations will attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, was elected as the president on July 6. The election was called after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May.