A panel known as the Assembly of Experts elected Tuesday Ebrahim Raisi as a deputy chief only days after his appointment as head of Iran's Judiciary.
The latest move increases his chances to succeed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The panel’s majority voted in favor of Raisi against his rival, the head of the Expediency Council Sadiq Larijani.
A total of 73 members took part in the voting. While Raisi and Larijani garnered 43 and 27 votes respectively, five votes went to Sadeq Golpayegani.
The 88-seat assembly is the main body of the Iranian regime entitled to appoint, and dismiss the country’s supreme leader in case he fails to carry out his mission.
Raisi is known for his role in overseeing the execution of political prisoners in the late 1980s.
An audio file release in 2016 proved he was part of a four-person committee that ordered the execution of several thousand political prisoners in 1988.
Last week, Khamenei appointed Raisi as head of the Iranian judiciary.
In another context, deputy speaker Ali Motahari protested the meddling of the Expediency Council in the Iranian parliament’s decisions.
The Council is expected to have a final say on the government’s bill to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) after the dispute between the parliament and the Guardian Council.
Motahari warned against taking a “dangerous approach,” saying the Expediency Council can’t protest the parliament’s legislation, according to Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
He objected to remarks made by the Council on the state budget approved by the parliament about 10 days ago.
