Tens of thousands of people paid tribute to former Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi this Thursday in his birth town of Makchad, in northwestern Iran, before he was buried five days after the helicopter crash that killed him.
The ceremony caps a three-day funeral that drew large crowds, following a tradition of major events in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, who had been Iran’s president since 2021, died aged 63 when a helicopter carrying him to Tabriz (northwest) crashed on Sunday.
The accident occurred after he, along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, attended the opening of a dam on the common border.
The accident killed seven more people, including the head of Iranian diplomacy, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
According to the French news agency AFP, men, women and children of all ages marched in Mahchad along an avenue leading to the Imam Reza Mausoleum, the country’s main Shiite shrine.
Most held photographs of Raisi and white flowers, traditionally used at funerals in Iran.
The crowd followed the coffin, which was placed on a truck with the inscription “I have come, O king, shelter me,” referring to Imam Reza, the eighth Shiite imam.
After the end of five days of mourning, authorities, including interim President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, will focus on organizing presidential elections scheduled for June 28.
According to AFP, political uncertainty is high as no candidate has yet emerged to represent the conservative camp in power.
Candidates for the presidential election will be officially presented on May 30, and the election campaign will begin on June 12.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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