Raisi Re-Elected To Iran’s Assembly Of Experts

President Ebrahim Raisi was re-elected to Iran’s Assembly of Experts with more than 82 percent of the valid votes in South Khorasan province, reported the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

The number indicates an 8-percent increase in his vote share compared to the previous election, Tasnim added. Raisi was unopposed in the electoral district.

This will be his third consecutive term representing the province in the Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with choosing a successor to Iran’s 84-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the event of his death.

In January, Iran’s Guardian Council barred all candidates from running in the Assembly of Experts election in South Khorasan except Raisi.

According to Moussa Salimi, the secretary of the election office in the province, of the five people that had registered to run in the election, one withdrew, and three others were disqualified by the Guardian Council. The last candidate was an unknown individual with little chance of getting votes.

The move sparked a backlash among Iranian social media users, with many rejecting it as a mockery of the principle of elections.

Earlier in February, the opposing candidate said his aim was not to win against raisi but make the elections more real.

Iran’s parliamentary and the Assembly of Experts elections were held Friday while many political activists, opposition parties and large sections of the public had boycotted the event.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars news website claimed a voter turnout of more than 40% in the controversial elections, despite numerous reports indicating lackluster participation.