Iran's parliament to decide on Rouhani's cabinet line-up
8/12/2013 9:18:19 AM
Iran's Majlis (parliament) will meet on Monday to start vetting procedures for the proposed 18- member cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran's new president Rouhani, who won June 14 presidential elections, unveiled the proposed list of nominees for his cabinet during his inauguration ceremony on August 4 in Majlis.
The list included eleven pro-reform or moderate figures and nine independents or conservatives in the proposed cabinet.
Faced with the pressure of conservative-dominated parliament, he will appear before the lawmakers on Monday to defend his choices for the ministerial positions.
Hardline legislators along with the conservative community of media have criticized Rouhani for reform-oriented composition of the next administration.
According to local media, some of the hardline legislators have urged the pro-reform nominees to renounce the "fraudulent claims," which said that 2009 presidential elections in Iran were rigged in favor of outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This would serve as a prerequisite for some of the reformist choices of Rouhani to receive vote of confidence from the Majlis, the conservatives suggest.
Among the proposed ministers, pro-reform Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh is the oil minister and he served as the minister of energy from 1988 to 1997 and as Iran's oil minister from 1997 to 2005.
Mohammad-Javad Zarif, Iran's former permanent representative to the UN and a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team led by Rouhani from 2003 to 2005, has been nominated for the post as foreign minister.
Iran's new president Rouhani, who won June 14 presidential elections, unveiled the proposed list of nominees for his cabinet during his inauguration ceremony on August 4 in Majlis.
The list included eleven pro-reform or moderate figures and nine independents or conservatives in the proposed cabinet.
Faced with the pressure of conservative-dominated parliament, he will appear before the lawmakers on Monday to defend his choices for the ministerial positions.
Hardline legislators along with the conservative community of media have criticized Rouhani for reform-oriented composition of the next administration.
According to local media, some of the hardline legislators have urged the pro-reform nominees to renounce the "fraudulent claims," which said that 2009 presidential elections in Iran were rigged in favor of outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This would serve as a prerequisite for some of the reformist choices of Rouhani to receive vote of confidence from the Majlis, the conservatives suggest.
Among the proposed ministers, pro-reform Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh is the oil minister and he served as the minister of energy from 1988 to 1997 and as Iran's oil minister from 1997 to 2005.
Mohammad-Javad Zarif, Iran's former permanent representative to the UN and a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team led by Rouhani from 2003 to 2005, has been nominated for the post as foreign minister.