City Council Accepts Tehran Mayor’s Resignation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The City Council of Tehran accepted Mohammad Ali Najafi’s resignation from the post of Tehran’s mayor on Tuesday after week-long debates about the ex-education minister who has cited failing health for leaving the office.
Tehran city councilors accepted Najafi’s second resignation on Tuesday, after turning down his first request last week.
Of the 21 councilors in the Tuesday voting, 15 members were in favor of the resignation, with 5 against and one abstention.
The council further appointed Samiollah Hosseini Makarem as the caretaker mayor by 14 votes.
67-year-old Najafi, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was elected mayor of Tehran in August 2017.
Affiliated with the ‘reformist’ political parties, Najafi used to serve as the minister of education and the minister of culture in various administrations.
He also took the helm at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) during President Hassan Rouhani’s first term, but resigned after six months.
Najafi succeeded Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who was in office for 12 years, but submitted his resignation last week because of what he called poor health.
