TEHRAN - Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani as the new chairman to replace Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday, the semi- official Fars news agency reported.

Mahdavi Kani was elected by 63 votes in favor in the ninth official meeting of the Assembly which was kicked off on Tuesday.

Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential Iranian politician and chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran and the fourth president of the Islamic Republic, lost his current position as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts.

Iran's Assembly of Experts is a deliberative body of 86 Iran's Mujtahids (Islamic scholars) that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.