Iran Parliamentary Debates on Ministerial Picks Enter 2nd Day
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Intensive sessions at the Iranian Parliament for vetting of President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed ministers began for the second day on Wednesday morning with arguments for and against the nominee for the post of intelligence minister.
The Parliament has launched sessions since Tuesday to discuss the credentials and backgrounds of the proposed ministers for the vote of confidence.
In an address to the lawmakers on Tuesday morning, President Rouhani had outlined his plans for the second term, and gave a brief introduction of each of the 17 proposed ministers and defended their backgrounds.
Half of the proposed cabinet has remained unchanged compared to the first term. Nine out of the 17 proposed ministers were at the helm in the first term. Only the position of minister of Sciences, Research, and Technology is still falling vacant.
During the Tuesday’s sessions at the Parliament, legislators took the podium to speak for or against Seyed Mohammad Bathayee and Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the proposed picks for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
The Wednesday’s session started with debates on the credentials of Mahmoud Alawi, the nominee for the post of intelligence minister, who had the same job over the past four years.
If any of the proposed ministers fails to win a vote of confidence, Rouhani will have up to three months to name a replacement.
President Rouhani submitted the list of his ministers to the Parliament on August 8, four days after his swearing-in ceremony.
The president took the oath of office on August 5. He had two weeks to submit his new cabinet to the parliament, but drew up the shortlist in only four days.
