By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

 Today, Sunday, July 8, marks the start of the Islamic Lunar Calendar, 1446 AH, which in the Islamic Republic of Iran coincides with the start of the 4-year term of a new Iranian president. 
Dr. Massoud Pezeshkian who on Friday won a closely contested election in the runoff with Dr. Saeed Jalili, steps into the shoes of Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi who attained martyrdom on May 19 in a copter crash a month short of three years of his incomplete 4-year term.
It is hoped the former health minister would follow in the footsteps of the “People’s President” and name a competent cabinet to continue the unfinished work of his tireless predecessor.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Heads of the Parliament and the Judiciary have hailed the people’s almost 50 percent participation in the presidential polls and congratulated the new Chief Executive.
Pezeshkian’s coming to power in the mourning month ought to make him and his officials draw inspiration from the life of the Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), in the same manner that the Late President, who also started his term in Muharram admirably did.
The Prophet’s grandson courted martyrdom, along with his male family members and friends in Karbala, in order to establish social justice and preserve humanitarian values by unmasking hypocrisy.
Therefore, the Islamic Republic, which adheres to the path of Imam Husain (AS), will take every step to ensure the smooth functioning of the country, since it is irreligious to indulge in outward modes of worship, while ignoring social, cultural, political and other issues that govern human life.
Likewise, it is self-deception to ignore the Divine Law and give free rein to whimsical ideas of the fallible mind, thereby allowing the fate of the people to slip into a state of injustice, which in turn provides breeding ground for misrule.
The Islamic Republic shoulders the responsibility of conveying to the world the message of Islam at a time when the US and Israel are slaughtering the people of Gaza and trying to destabilize Muslim countries. 
Iran plays an important role in fostering Islamic unity and defending the rights of the oppressed people in the region and all over the world, much to the chagrin of its enemies, especially the US and the illegitimate Zionist entity.
In view of these facts, President Pezeshkian ought to strive to strengthen the Axis of Resistance, while upgrading national development projects, including the nuclear fuel cycle, the aerospace sector, artificial intelligence, and the like, without yielding to western pressures. 
A successful president, as Martyr Raisi proved to the nation and the world, needs to adhere steadfastly to the dynamic laws of Islam, the legacy of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and the wise guidelines of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.