Hanachi named as Tehran's new Mayor

"Today, Wednesday, the interior minister issued the decree for Pirouz Hanachi, the elected mayor of Tehran," Spokesman of Tehran's City Council Ali E'ta said.

Hanachi had earlier this month won the majority of the votes of Tehran's City Council members, and was named as the 18th holder of the position since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Winning 11 votes out of 21, Hanachi became the third mayor of the city picked by the current edition of the Islamic City Council of Tehran, after Mohammad-Ali Afshani and Mohammad Ali Najafi.

Abbas Akhoundi, former minister of roads and urban development, who gained 10 votes, was the other candidate at the mayoral race.

The appointed mayor of Tehran, 54, was the deputy mayor for technical and construction affairs under Najafi's office. Then he was moved to the urban development and architecture department of Tehran's Municipality.

A graduate of University of Tehran, the new mayor had also been in senior positions at Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

Hanachi needed to receive the approval of Iran's Interior Ministry to officially take the post.

Former mayor of Tehran Mohammd Ali Afshani had to leave his post due to a new law recently passed by the Iranian Parliament, according to which all the government retirees are forbidden from taking on new state responsibilities.

Hanachi's referral ceremony is due to be held in the City Council on Sunday.

END