Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was tapped to assume control of the country by Iran’s Assembly of experts, Iranian International reported Tuesday.
Motjaba is known for a staunch adherence to his father’s hardline conservatism, and has close ties to Iran’s notoriously brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military body, according to CNN.
A great many authoritarian systems throughout history, especially in the ancient world, have had a selection system that formalises compromise between the major power brokers to prevent the whole group being made easy pickings to outsiders by succession struggles.
Primogeniture is not the default because the oldest son often sucks.
The electors here are influential clergy members and high ranking military officials.
The assembly of experts choosing the next leader is staffed by only clerics, no military personnel.