Becoming Supreme Leader in 1989 without marja rank after Montazeri was dismissed and the constitution was rewritten
After Khomeini dismissed Hossein-Ali Montazeri in March 1989, the Assembly of Experts chose then-president Khamenei as Supreme Leader even though he lacked the marja-e taqlid rank the constitution required. The charter was amended to lower the bar and he was elevated overnight to ayatollah, a path critics still cite as lacking traditional clerical credentials.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Khomeini dismisses Montazeri as designated successor - Reuters reported that after Montazeri criticised the mass executions of political prisoners, Khomeini dismissed him as successor. Montazeri had been an architect of the Islamic Republic and a critic of repression. PROFILE: Montazeri, architect and critic of modern Iran
- Assembly chooses Khamenei despite missing marja rank - BBC News reported that after Khomeini's death the Assembly of Experts chose Khamenei even though he was not a marja-e taqlid. The constitution was amended so Islamic scholarship sufficed, and he was elevated overnight to ayatollah. Iran: How Ayatollah Khamenei became its most powerful man
- BBC profile: critics still highlight the credentials gap - A BBC News profile of Khamenei's power noted that he lacked the constitutional clerical rank when chosen and that the charter rewrite and overnight elevation remain points critics cite about his traditional credentials. Iran: How Ayatollah Khamenei became its most powerful man