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Majlis starts debate on proposed ministers' confirmation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 9, IRNA
Iran-Majlis-Ministers
The Majlis (Parliament) began minutes ago debates on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominees to four ministries prior to taking a vote on their confirmation.

President Ahmadinejad, in a letter to Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on November 2, gave the names of his nominees to the four ministries which are still without ministers because ministers proposed earlier had failed to win the required vote of confidence.

As stated in his letter read in an open session by Haddad-Adel, the president's nominees are Sadeq Mahsouli as oil minister, Mahmoud Farshidi as minister of education, Parviz Kazemi as minister of welfare and social security and Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani as cooperatives minister.

President Ahmadinejad presented a list of his cabinet appointees for confirmation by Majlis on August 14, but four of these failed to obtain the required vote of confidence.

Majlis will take no pre-session speeches during its open session today.

Based on Majlis internal regulations, four MPs will take turns expressing their views in favor and against the proposed ministers with each allotted 15 minutes, after which each proposed minister will be given 30 minutes to defend his qualification and programs.

The president can then use any time left unused by any of the proposed ministers to further defend his appointees.

Majlis is to take a vote separately for each minister.

According to Note 2 of Article 190 of these regulations, if the president's nominees this time around fail to win Majlis' vote of confidence, the president will have two weeks to introduce other nominees.

President Ahmadinejad was elected as Iran's sixth president by over 17 million votes in the run-off elections held on June 24.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, in accordance with a constitutional requirement, confirmed the election of Ahmadinejad on August 3.

On August 6 he took his oath of office as president before members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis).

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