Tehran: Alireza Zakani, a former Iranian presidential candidate, has been elected as the Mayor of Tehran.  According to reports, Zakani, who renounced his candidacy in favour of incumbent President Ebrahim Raisi, was elected in a meeting of Tehran's City Council on Sunday with 18 out of 21 votes. The newly-elected Mayor pointed to the creation of a "social headquarters" aiming to solve problems related to drug addicts, beggars, and child labour, according to the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency.

On Saturday, Tehran's City Council elected former Deputy Mayor Alireza Javid to act as caretaker mayor until Zakani's appointment is confirmed by the Interior Ministry. Zakani replaces Pirouz Hanachi, who had assumed the post in November 2018. The sixth City Council election was held concurrently with the presidential election on June 18, 2021.

Zakani said that studies are being carried out to build a new tunnel connecting major highways in the southeast of Tehran, as well as light rail transit infrastructure crossing Iran's capital from the eastern to the western outskirts. Zakani, 55, has been serving as a member of the Iranian Parliament representing the city of Qom since early 2020. He has also led Parliament's Research Centre for nearly a year.

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