Tehran: In a blow to embattled Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, top conservative lawmakers openly opposed his cabinet line-up after he urged parliament on Sunday to approve his nominees.
"Sixteen nominees have no experience required for the
ministries they have been nominated for," said powerful MP
Ahmad Tavakoli as parliament began a three-day debate on the
21-member new cabinet ahead of Wednesday's vote of confidence.
"The cabinet lacks harmony in its view when it comes
to handling crucial issues such as economic development. The
views of candidates nominated to head the economy, oil and
commerce ministries contradict that of the agriculture
ministry nominee."
Another top conservative, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, said
he will "definitely not vote for a few nominees.
"Some nominees of four or five ministries have an
educational background which is contradictory to their
portfolios," Bahonar said as the debate raged in the chamber.
Ahmadinejad, whose re-election triggered the worst
crisis in the Islamic republic's history, is under fire from
his own hardline supporters over several political decisions
he made soon after his disputed June 12 victory.
MPs are also furious at not being consulted over the
cabinet, and he faces a daunting task in securing
parliamentary approval for a line-up which includes many new
faces, among them three women -- a first in the Islamic
republic.
The confidence vote comes as Iran is mired in
political turmoil after Ahmadinejad's victory triggered
massive street protests which left at least 30 people dead and
shook the very foundations of the Islamic regime.
Ahmadinejad has retained five ministers in the same
posts, including Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Current defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
has been nominated as interior minister, while commerce
minister Masoud Mirkazemi is his pick for the crucial oil
ministry in OPEC's second largest exporter.
However, Mirkazemi is expected to be rejected
because of his lack of expertise in the sector, media reports
said. He was also nearly impeached in 2007 and 2008 over
rising prices of basic commodities.
The three female nominees are also expected to face
an uphill battle.
"Islam respects women, but respecting women does
not mean that heavy social positions be given to them,"
hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami said yesterday.
Sousan Keshvaraz, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi and
Fatemeh Ajorlou have been proposed respectively as ministers
of education, health, and welfare and social security. All
three of them lack ministerial experience.
Tavakoli warned the new cabinet could divide
Iranian society. "The nominee for the science ministry was the
head of the election commission. From the point of view of
protesters, he is the main accused over the recent bitter
incidents," he said of the post-election unrest. "This has the
potential to divide society."
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, August 30, 2009, 20:03