Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian to be sworn in next month

Tehran, Iran — 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 the 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 Friday against the ultraconservative 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%, with Jalili winning more than 13 million, roughly 44%, out of about 30 million votes cast.  

Turnout was 49.8%, Mohsen Eslami, an election spokesperson added, up from a record low of about 40% in the first round.

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