Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was re-elected on Tuesday as Speaker of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament) for the 12th legislative term, marking his sixth consecutive term in this position, following a majority vote by MPs for a one-year mandate.

In an open parliamentary session, Ghalibaf secured 219 votes out of 272 attending MPs, while his opponent Ahmad Rastineh received only 36 votes. Seventeen votes were invalidated as abstentions or uncounted ballots.

MP Ali Nikzad was elected as First Deputy Speaker by lottery after tying with MP Hamid Reza Babaee, both having received 111 votes.

Ghalibaf, born in 1961 in Mashhad, Iran, holds a PhD in Political Geography from Tehran's Tarbiat Modares University. He has served as Parliament Speaker since 2020, following a distinguished career that included positions as Tehran's mayor and police chief, along with multiple unsuccessful presidential bids.

The parliamentary elections held in early March saw the conservative faction, to which Ghalibaf belongs, win most seats. This same faction includes President Ebrahim Raisi.