Appointment of Ahmad Muzani to Attend Ali Khamenei's Funeral Deemed Lawful

Constitutional law expert from the Muslim University of Indonesia, Fahri Bachmid, has assessed that the assignment of People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani as a special presidential envoy to attend the funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is legally valid and a common practice. Muzani, along with Foreign Minister Sugiono, attended the funeral scheduled for Thursday, 9 July 2026, in Mashhad. The appointment had drawn public criticism, particularly regarding Muzani’s position as MPR Speaker.

Bachmid explained that from a constitutional law perspective, the President’s assignment of Ahmad Muzani is legitimate and carried out within the framework of his capacity as a special envoy, a consequence of the president’s position as the highest diplomatic head who holds full authority over foreign relations. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the head of state is recognised as the primary representative of the country. Technically, Ahmad Muzani’s position was not as a representative of the MPR institution, which is functionally equal to the presidency in the constitutional structure.

He elaborated that doctrinally, the president exercises prerogative rights as head of state. The president has the constitutional authority to appoint anyone deemed suitable to represent the Indonesian state and nation in diplomatic activities or missions abroad. This is in line with the president’s status as head of state, who holds the highest power in international relations and the execution of state diplomacy. This provides full legitimacy for the president to assign certain figures symbolically as special envoys, outside the ranks of cabinet ministers or the diplomatic corps.

Bachmid assessed that the president serves as a symbol of political sovereignty, unity, and official state representation. In this ceremonial role, President Prabowo Subianto is not directly involved in day-to-day technical policymaking but rather carries out state protocol functions and leads the nation’s representation at the international level. He concluded that the head of state’s action to assign Ahmad Muzani to represent the Indonesian government at the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad was carried out in his capacity as a special presidential envoy.