News ID: 259

Date: 20 May 2024 - 14:14

‘A great loss for the Iranian nation,’ says spokesperson

The spokesperson for Iran's Constitutional Council – a powerful 12-member council in charge of overseeing elections and legislation – has called the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raisi "a great loss for the Iranian nation."

Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that while Iran is facing a tragedy with the martyrdom of its president, Iran's constitution has foreseen the necessary measures for this situation.

"Just as the leader of the Islamic Republic stated, the affairs of the country will not be disrupted," Nazif told Iranian state news agency Press TV.

Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution mandates that the three heads of the branches of government, including the vice president, speaker of the parliament, and head of the judiciary, must arrange for an election and elect a new leader within 50 days of assuming the role of acting President.

The Iranian president, foreign minister and their accompanying delegation lost their lives after the helicopter carrying them crashed in the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan due to harsh weather conditions on Sunday. Their bodies were found on Monday after an extensive night-long search operation.