A prominent member of the majority Principalist faction of Iran's Majlis (parliament), Ali Mottahari announced in June that he has provided a petition to question the actions taken by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which was then signed by 100 lawmakers.
Based on the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution, the measure to question the president should be signed by at least one fourth of the Majlis members (73 out of 290) to be proceeded. In earlier months, several lawmakers had criticized the administration for violating 50 articles of the Constitution.
According to the Article 88 of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Constitution, the president must attend the floor of Majlis in a month after being summoned. He won’t be subject to this law if only lawmakers agree to withdraw the motion.
Speaking to Khabar Online, Mottahari a member of culture commission of the Majlis who has been a main critic of Ahmadinejad's measures in recent years outlined his views on the issue of questioning the President.
What happened in the political situation of the country which made the presiding board of the Majlis to stop blocking the act for questioning Mr. Ahmadinejad, and proceed that instead?
No special incident occurred. Actually the determination of those lawmakers who signed the petition made the presiding board to agree. In the final analysis, the Majlis has concluded that asking question of the president is a normal procedure which causes no damage to the country but would make the government and the Majlis to come to a better understanding.
When the convenient time for asking question from the president would come? Do you believe in the current circumstances it would be inconvenient?
In any circumstances asking questions from the president would benefit the country, even if Tehran would be under the enemy's bombardment, since it's a dialogue for eliminating the misunderstandings and illuminating people and the lawmakers.
Why those who were opposed such plan on the pretext of the current condition have stopped disagreeing these days? What's the reason behind it?
They have reached to this conclusion that their impression of questioning the president has been wrong and were mistaken it with impeachment or objection against political inefficiency. The plan includes questions which have been raised several times by the lawmakers and those who have sympathy for the Islamic Republic system.
To what extent the government responses have been convincing?
They have not been convincing. On the other hand, summoning the president for answering the lawmakers questions would be so significant and would be an evidence of democracy in Iran.
Do you basically believe that it's a convenient time to take such action almost two months to the Majlis election?
Asking question from the president is not relevant to the Majlis election at all. The course of events led the plan to be executed in this moment.
From the beginning when the plan was proposed some were concerned for possible Mr. Ahmadinejad's controversial remarks to be conveyed from the forum of the Majlis. How much such concerns can be grave?
These concerns are unfounded. Mr. Ahmadinejad has always had access to a tribune to address people directly. He would never take a measure to cause damage to the Islamic Revolution and himself. What he did in TV debates during pre-presidential election days was provoked by an intense heat which had dominated that time.
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