A member of Iran's Assembly of Experts says some clerics were not informed about the in-person meeting at which Mojtaba Khamenei was named the new supreme leader and therefore could not attend despite being in the city of Qom.
Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari told state television that more than two-thirds of the body’s 88 members attended the session held in Qom on Sunday, meeting the quorum required for the vote.
“Some of the members were not informed about the meeting and could not make it to the session even though they were in the city of Qom,” Heidari said.
Heidari added that Mojtaba Khamenei received almost 85% of the votes cast by those present.
The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body elected for eight-year terms, is constitutionally responsible for appointing and overseeing Iran’s supreme leader. A minimum of two-thirds of its members must be present for such a decision to be valid.
If accurate, the figures would mean that at least about 59 members attended the meeting and that roughly 50 or more voted in favor of Khamenei.
Sources familiar with the discussions had earlier told Iran International that several members of the Assembly expressed objections to Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection earlier this week, warning that appointing the son of the late leader risks reinforcing perceptions of hereditary rule in the Islamic Republic.
