Rouhani appoints Jahangiri as first vice-president

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani appointed Eshaq Jahangiri as his first vice-president. Eshaq Jahangiri, who was the minister of industry and mines for 8 consecutive years under Mohammad Khatami's presidency (1977-2005), was appointed by Rouhani as his first vice-president on Monday. As the first vice-president, Jahangiri will have wide-ranging authorities, including chairing cabinet meeting in absence of the President as well as signing all communications, legislations, edicts, regulations and decisions of the cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony of Rouhani kicked off in the capital, Tehran, at 16:00 local time (1130 GMT) on Sunday in the presence of senior Iranian state and military officials as well as foreign dignitaries. The ceremony underway at the venue of the Iranian Parliament started with the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran and recital of verses of the Holy Quran. The session continued with a brief speech by Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who presides the meeting and welcomed the guests, specially the foreign officials partaking in the ceremony. Over 249 Iranian and foreign officials are present at the ceremony, including several world leaders. From Iran, all the heads and senior officials of the three branches of power, chief of staff of the Supreme Leader, chairman of the Assembly of Experts, Expediency Council chairman, Expediency Council Secretary, Guardian Council members and chairman, parliament members, senior administration officials of Ahmadinejad's government, the household of the late Imam Khomeini (the late founder of the Islamic Republic), senior Muslim clerics and Shiite Jurisprudents, governor generals, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, senior Army and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders, and tens of Iranian and foreign journalists are present at the ceremony. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Araqchi, foreign dignitaries from 52 countries and the United Nations as well as three special guests are attending the swearing-in ceremony of President Rouhani. "Ten presidents, eight vice-presidents, two prime ministers, three deputy prime ministers, seven parliament speakers, 11 foreign ministers and 13 other ministers represent their governments in today's ceremony," Araqchi said. Delegations from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Armenia, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Swaziland, Russia, Venezuela, Algeria, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uzbekistan, Malaysia, India, Nicaragua, Cuba, Kuwait, Ukraine, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Oman are present at the ceremony. Larijani's inaugural address was followed by a speech by Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani. Then, Dr. Hassan Rouhani was sworn in by the Judiciary chief as Iran's New President. The ceremony continued by Rouhani's presidential address. The swearing-in ceremony is held a day after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei endorsed Rouhani's presidential decree. The endorsement ceremony on Saturday which lasted for about an hour was attended by senior Iranian state and military officials as well as foreign dignitaries. Addressing the endorsement ceremony yesterday, Rouhani said “the election displayed maturity of the ruling system and built increasing trust between the ruling system and the people”. “The June election was held with full transparency, rivalry and tranquility and its results surprised many because Iran, which was imagined by ill-wishers to start experiencing domestic conflicts and a wide gap between the state and the nation as a result of sanctions and isolations, created an almost unique epic through hectic election and massive participation of the people from different walks of life (in that election),” he noted. Rouhani promised to concentrate more on economic prosperity and increased investment in industries and agriculture, saying that his “government’s orientation will comprise saving Iran’s economy, reviving ethics and constructive interaction with the world”. The Iranian president vowed to take “new steps on the scene of international relations in a bid to enhance Iran’s dignity and position based on national interests and removal of the present cruel sanctions”. Rouhani emerged victorious in Iran's June 14 presidential election, which was marked by a high voter turnout. He won 50.7 percent of the votes. The Interior Ministry put voter turnout at 72.7 percent. Rouhani has been a representative of Ayatollah Khamenei at the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) for nearly two decades. He is also a member of the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts, and was the president of the Expediency Council's Center for Strategic Research.