Majlis Resumes Debating Cabinet: Iran

Local Editor

Iran's Majlis has resumed on Tuesday debating the qualification of President Hassan Rouhani's proposed 18 Cabinet members, following the first session which began Monday.

On Monday, President Rouhani addressed the lawmakers, elaborating on the general policies of Iran's new administration. The debate continued with heated discussions by the Iranian lawmakers speaking for and against the proposed nominee.

At the end of the session, the opponents and proponents expressed their views on the nominee for the minister of education, Mohammad Ali Najafi.
The Tuesday session began with Najafi defending his plans.
He stressed the necessity of using a strategic plan as well as past experiences in the Education Ministry, saying, "One of the weaknesses that we faced in the past was the lack of a strategic plan for education, as a result of which some contradictory decisions were made and carried out."

Referring to the Education Ministry's issues, which have been endorsed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Najafi said the general outlines of his plans for the ministry were based on these documents.

According to Majlis' procedures, the president may choose to use the time allotted to him and his Cabinet nominees to speak in favor of them.
Addressing lawmakers at the start of the session on Monday, Rohani said his priority in office was to tackle the country's economic crisis, as well as its nuclear program in a bid to lift the several rounds of Western sanctions that have hit the country's economy hard.

Rohani unveiled his all-male cabinet of technocrats on August 4 but his nominations must be confirmed by the conservative-dominated parliament in a process that has several stages.

Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed Rouhani for a four-year term in office as Iran's new president in a ceremony on August 3 following his victory in the Iranian presidential election.

Rohani won Iran's June 14 2013 presidential election, gathering 50.7 percent of a total of 36, 704, 156 ballots.

To see more about the nominees, click here.

Source: Websites, edited by website team