‘Hard-line’ former mayor elected as Iran’s new Speaker of Parliament 

Iran’s parliament reconvened yesterday following six weeks of coronavirus lockdown with 268 new members being sworn in. The inaugural session also saw a former Mayor of Tehran and one-time electoral rival of President Hassan Rouhani being appointed as the Speaker of Parliament.

Described as a “hardliner”, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf was voted in by 230 of the 264 lawmakers. He is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and served as an air force commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). He was a close associate of the late Quds Force commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani.

Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi and Ali Nikzad, also conservatives, were elected as the first and second vice-Speakers of Parliament respectively.

READ: Iran parliament convenes amid coronavirus pandemic

Qalibaf’s predecessor, Ali Larijani, was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as an adviser and member of the Expediency Council, a body established to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.

The new Speaker of the parliament of Iran

"Mohammad bagher #Ghalibaf"

He was a friend of haaj Ghasem #Soleimani .
It's obviously a message to the world and enemies of #Iran 🚩 pic.twitter.com/KCUuZ50VHS

— Z.kh 🚩🇮🇷 (@anonymousirania) May 27, 2020

It has been reported that during his 12-year tenure as Tehran’s Mayor, Qalibaf improved the city’s subway lines and encouraged the construction of many modern high-rises. However, opponents accused him of wasting public funds on unnecessary projects while not paying attention to social and cultural aspects of the city.