Iranian Parliament Gives Vote of Confidence to Majority of Rohani’s Proposed Ministers

Local Editor

The Iranian parliament Thursday evening gave votes of confidence to 15 president Rohani-nominated ministers, but rejected 3 others.

After four days of hard work, the Iranian legislature approved President Hassan Rohani's nominees for the posts of Intelligence, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Oil, Energy, Roads and Urbanization, Agricultural Jihad, Defense, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Economy and Financial Affairs, Health, Cooperative and Labor, Justice, Industry and Mining and Trade, and Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministries with almost unprecedentedly high votes of confidence.

Yet, the MPs refrained from approving the president's choice for the posts of Education, Science and Research and Technology, and Sports and Youths Ministries.

The Iranian parliament presided by Speaker Ali Larijani started the fourth day of debates on competency of the proposed ministers of President Rohani on Thursday morning.

This comes as Rohani and his nominees for different cabinet posts attended the parliament on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for a vote of confidence to his 18 proposed ministers.

The debates at the parliament ended Thursday evening after the voting.

Rohani presented the list of his candidates for the posts to the parliament on August 4, on the same day that he was sworn in as Iran's president.

The Iranian president reiterated in his press conference that he would defend his ministers decisively.

He had said that the country needs experienced individuals for the cabinet and "those who will enter this arena should possess sufficient expertise and experience and have a satisfactory record of previous performance".

The Iranian parliament members gave votes of confidence to:

1- Mahmoud Alavi-Tabar as Intelligence Minister.
2- Abdol-Reza Rahmani Fazli as Interior Minister.
3- Mohammad Javad Zarif as Foreign Affairs Minister.
4- 4- Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as Oil Minister.
5- Hamid Chitchian as Energy Minister.
6- Abbas Akhoundi as Road and Urbanization Minister.
7- Mahmoud Hojjati as Agricultural Jihad Minister.
8- 8- Hossein Dehqan as Defense Minister.
9- Mahmoud Vaezi as Telecommuinications and Information Technology Minister.
10- Ali Tayyebnia as Economy and Financial Affairs Minister.
11- Sayyed Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi as Health, Treatment and Medical Training Minister.
12- Ali Rabi'ee as Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare Minister.
13- Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi as Justice Minister.
14- 14- Mohammad Reza Ne'matzadeh as Industry, Mining and Trade Minister.
15- Ali Jannati as Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister.

The MPs did not give votes of confidence to:

1- Jafar Mili-Monfared as Science, Research and Technology Minister.
2- Mohammad Ali Najafi as Education and Training Minister.
3- Massoud Soltani-Far as Sports and Youths Minister.

The Iranian Parliament has 289 members. Five were absent in the session. In some voting 284 and in some others 283 MPs cast their ballots. To receive a vote of confidence, every nominee should win more than half of the votes cast in the polling.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team