A protege of Khamenei who rose through the ranks of Iran’s theocracy, Raisi, 63, was widely seen as a leading candidate to take over from Khamenei, 85. Raisi had enjoyed staunch backing from Khamenei, who had himself held the position of prez before he became supreme leader in 1989 following the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But criticism of Raisi’s performance as prez had already raised questions about whether he was the best candidate to succeed Khamenei, who is in declining health.
