Thousands at Iran president's funeral in his hometown
Tens of thousands of people paid their respects on Wednesday to former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in his home town of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran before he was buried five days after the helicopter crash that killed him.
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The ceremony caps three days of mourning that have drawn huge crowds, in keeping with Iran’s tradition of mass outpourings of grief at major events since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Raisi, who had been Iran’s president since 2021, died aged 63 when the helicopter carrying him to the northwestern city of Tabriz crashed on Sunday.
The accident happened after he attended the inauguration of a dam with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev on their countries’ shared border.
Seven others died in the crash, including Iran’s transport minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Men, women and children of all ages marched in Mashhad along the avenue leading to the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the country’s main Shia shrine, according to the French news agency AFP.
Many held up pictures of Raisi and carried white flowers, traditionally used at Iranian funerals.
The crowd followed the coffin, which was placed on a truck bearing the inscription: “I have come, O my King, grant me shelter,” a reference to Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam.
Once the five-day mourning period is over, authorities, including interim President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, will turn their attention to organising a presidential election set for June 28.
Political uncertainty looms large as no single candidate has yet emerged to represent the conservative camp currently in power, AFP reported.
Candidates for the presidential election must formally register by May 30, with campaigning due to start on June 12.
Read Also: Iran. Raisi "should have been investigated for crimes against humanity" (Portuguese version)
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