Reformists officially take over Iran’s capital city

After 14 years, Reformists have taken over Iran’s capital city, increasing the cooperation between the incumbent moderate government and the Tehran municipality.
Mohsen Hashemi (C), the son of late former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, attends his father's mourning ceremony at Jamaran mosque in Tehran, on January 8, 2017. Rafsanjani died in hospital on January 8 after suffering a eart attack. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani (C), the son of late former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, attends his father's mourning ceremony at Jamaran Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2017. - ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

After 14 years of ruling Tehran, Principlists have relinquished power to Reformists, giving the mayorship and chairmanship of the city council to their rivals.

On Aug. 21, Tehran City Council members decided to elect Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former head of Tehran’s subway system and son of late two-time President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as head of the council, and Mohammad Ali Najafi, a former economic adviser of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, as the mayor.

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