Ayatollah Arafi: Article 111 of Iran‘s Constitution states that once the Supreme Leader dies or is no longer able to serve due to incapacity, three members from the Assembly of Experts will form a temporary three-member council to carry on the duties of the Leader until a new Leader can be chosen by the Assembly.
DON'T MISS
The three-member council will typically convene with the President, Chief Justice, and a member who is a senior Islamic scholar appointed to the council by the Guardian Council.
Who Is Alireza Arafi?
Alireza Arafi is considered a senior Shia cleric and has been known as an influential religious scholar, and has been director of Al-Mustafa International University and a member of the Guardian Council, one of the most powerful positions in Iran that oversees elections and legislation.
Arafi is known for being closely aligned with the Iranian clerical establishment and contributing significantly to Iran’s overall conservative religious leadership structure.
How the Interim Council Functions
The activation of Article 111 gives the council the temporary supervisory powers of the Supreme Leader’s constitutional duties, including control over the armed forces, the judiciary, state broadcasting, and overarching direction of policy: this is temporary.
The Assembly of Experts (the elected clerical group) is the body designated in the Constitution to select the new Supreme Leader. The timing of this selection will depend on both political consensus and discussions amongst the members of the Assembly.
Implications of Leadership Transition
The leadership transition in Iran can have major geopolitical ramifications. This will be particularly true in light of existing tensions among the U.S., Israel, and the regional Gulf countries. There is a general understanding among analysts that leadership continuity among clerics is often utilised to maintain institutional stability during a leadership transition.
