Qalibaf re-elected as Iran’s parliament speaker

Iran’s parliament has re-elected Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf as its speaker for a one-year period.

He was reinstated with 197 votes out of 287. The election came a day after the parliament’s inaugural session and oath taking ceremony of the 290 newly-elected members.

Qalibaf’s reinstatement comes ahead of early presidential vote as a snap election has been set for June 28 following the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raeisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.

The new parliament started its four-year term on Monday with a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

In his message, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called the parliament, known as Majlis, manifestation of religious democracy continuity in Iran, and told the lawmakers to preserve the country’s national interests.

Iran’s parliamentary elections were held in March. 245 candidates won the race in the first round of balloting.

The final make-up of the legislative body was determined after a run-off held on May the 10th.

A trained pilot, Qalibaf was a commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the Iraqi imposed war in the 1980s.

He also served as the head of the IRGC’s construction arm, Khatam al-Anbia, the commander of the IRGC’s air force, the police chief and the mayor of Tehran.

Qalibaf also ran presidential campaigns in 2005, 2013 and 2017.