President-elect Raeisi vows forming a hardworking, anti-corruption administration

“Yesterday, the world once again witnessed a great epic created by an upstanding nation, which opened a new page in modern history before itself with faith, insight and solidarity,” Raeisi said in a statement on Saturday evening, hours after he was declared winner of Iran’s 13th presidential election.

He added that the one who was elected in the June 18 presidential election belongs to the whole nation and is a “servant of the Republic in its entirety, whether those who voted for him or the ones who chose the other honorable candidates, or even those who did not turn up at the ballot boxes for whatever reason.

Raeisi, currently serving as the Judiciary chief, thanked the Iranians for all the support they threw behind him and said the winner of the “brilliant spectacle” on the world stage was the great nation of Iran, echoing Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

“Dear Iranian nation! You made good on your pledge yesterday with all honesty, and today, it is the turn of…this servant of yours to honor the pledge I made to you and not be negligent, event for a single second, in serving you.” Raeisi said.

“Dear people of Iran, just as I entered the election [scene] independently, God willing, I will form a hard-working, revolutionary, and anti-corruption administration, with the backing of your votes and the unique trust you put in me,” he added.

As the “central mission of the Islamic Revolution,” he added, his administration would move toward establishing justice and launching a great campaign of providing service to the Iranians.

Raeisi also expressed gratitude for all those in charge of holding the election, journalists, media workers, and social media activists, who pave the way for a “vigorous turnout” in the election, despite all the acts of mischief on the part of enemies.

He became president after winning over 60 percent of the votes cast in the Friday election.

Raeisi has been the chief of Iran’s Judiciary since 2019. The Muslim cleric has formerly held several other posts in Iran’s judicial branch since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Raeisi is associated with the Principlist camp, but he said he ran in the election this year as an independent when he announced his presidential bid last month.

He was campaigning with the slogan “Popular Administration, Strong Iran” on a platform of uprooting corruption in the executive branch, fighting poverty, creating jobs, containing inflation, and corruption.