After four days of hard work, the Iranian legislature approved President Hassan Rouhani’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 Rouhani on Thursday morning.
President Rouhani 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 votings.
Rouhani 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 with 227 Yes Votes, 38 Nays and 18 Abstentions,
2- Abdol-Reza Rahmani Fazli as Interior Minister with 256 Yes Votes, 19 Nays and 9 Abstentions,
3- Mohammad Javad Zarif as Foreign Affairs Minister with 232 Yes Votes, 36 Nays and 13 Abstentions,
4- Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as Oil Minister with 166 Yes Votes, 104 Nays and 13 Abstentions,
5- Hamid Chitchian as Energy Minister with 272 Yes Votes, 7 Nays and 5 Abstentions,
6- Abbas Akhoundi as Road and Urbanization Minister with 159 Yes Votes, 107 Nays and 18 Abstentions,
7- Mahmoud Hojjati as Agricultural Jihad Minister with 177 Yes Votes, 81 Nays and 26 Abstentions,
8- Hossein Dehqan as Defense Minister with 269 Yes Votes, 10 Nays and 5 Abstentions,
9- Mahmoud Vaezi as Telecommuinications and Information Technology Minister with 218 Yes Votes, 45 Nays and 20 Abstentions,
10- Ali Tayyebnia as Economy and Financial Affairs Minister with 274 Yes Votes, 7 Nays and 3 Abstentions,
11- Seyed Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi as Health, Treatment and Medical Training Minister with 260 Yes Votes, 18 Nays and 6 Abstentions,
12- Ali Rabi’ee as Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare Minister with 163 Yes Votes, 100 Nays and 21 Abstentions,
13- Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi as Justice Minister with 201 Yes Votes, 64 Nays and 19 Abstentions,
14- Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh as Industry, Mining and Trade Minister with 199 Yes Votes, 60 Nays and 24 Abstentions, and
15- Ali Jannati as Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister with 234 Yes Votes, 36 Nays and 12 Abstentions.
The MPs did not give votes of confidence to:
1- Jafar Mili-Monfared as Science, Research and Technology Minister with 105 Yes Votes, 162 Nays and 15 Abstentions,
2- Mohammad Ali Najafi as Education and Training Minister with 142 Yes Votes, 133 Nays and 9 Abstentions, and
3- Massoud Soltani-Far as Sports and Youths Minister with 117 Yes Votes, 148 Nays and 18 Abstentions.
The Iranian Parliament has 289 members. Five were absent in today’s session. In some votings 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.
