Iran majority faction says no to Mahsouli (UPDATED)

UPDATED: Iranian lawmakers are deciding whether to give a vote of confidence to Sadeq Mahsouli, the nominee for the post of interior minister. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at the formal Majlis (parliament) session on Tuesday and introduced his nominee for the portfolio to Iranian lawmakers. Four lawmakers will explain their views -- two in favor and two against the candidate -- following the president's speech. Mahsouli will have 30 minutes to present his plans after which the Majlis will vote on whether he can take the office.  Former interior minister Ali Kordan was impeached and dismissed by the parliament on November 4 over a forged degree he claimed was from Oxford University.  Principlist lawmakers, who hold the majority in parliament, held a Sunday session on the issue, in which around 60 lawmakers voted in favor of Sadeq Mahsouli assuming the position; over 80 voted against him.  This is while President Ahmadinejad and the majority of lawmakers in the 290-seat Majlis are Principlists. Mahsouli holds a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Original source at PressTV

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominee for the post of interior minister has failed to win the support of the Principlist camp.  Nearly 60 of the Principlist lawmakers present at a Sunday session on the issue voted in favor of Sadeq Mahsouli assuming the position of interior minister; over 80 voted against him.  This is while President Ahmadinejad and the majority of lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament are Principlists.   "Several factors contributed to the vote, one of which was an article by presidential advisor [Ali-Akbar] Javanfekr about the Majlis and its Speaker Ali Larijani," said Mohsen Kouhkan, the spokesman for the Majlis (parliament) Presiding Board, on Sunday.  According to Kouhkan, the article sparked fury in parliament and made many Principlist lawmakers feel that the Ahmadinejad administration has not been able to establish 'proper relations' with the Majlis.   "Many Principlist lawmakers says they do not feel the presence of government officials in parliament. In my opinion, this has also influenced the vote against Mahsouli," he continued.   Following the recent Majlis dismissal of former interior minister Ali Kordan, an article was posted on Javanfekr's personal website, which brought under question the qualifications of Larijani, former Majlis speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel and currently serving lawmakers in general.  Before he can assume office as Iran's new interior minister, Mahsouli must attend a parliamentary session on Tuesday to win a vote of confidence. While just over one-third of the Principlists have voted for Mahsouli, a two-thirds Majlis majority must give Mahsouli a vote of confidence for him to be able to assume the top office at the Interior Ministry.  Lawmakers from the minority faction are unlikely to give Mahsouli the overwhelming support he needs to take the post. Original source at PressTV 

Iran's Majlis says there is no Larijani-Qalibaf-Rezaei alliance working to challenge President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 elections.  In a Sunday statement, the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) rejected reports of a meeting held by Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei, and Mayor of Tehran Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.  Media reports earlier suggested that the three senior Iranian officials had met to discuss forming an alliance to guarantee victory over the incumbent president in the country's upcoming presidential election - scheduled for June 12, 2009.  When asked by IRNA about the alleged gathering, Rezaei confirmed that a meeting had been held but only to discuss 'domestic and international issues', adding that no electoral issues had been brought up.
The three officials, known for being critical of controversial policies of the Ahmadinejad administration, are rumored to be Ahmadinejad challengers in the next election. Earlier in August, Qalibaf said the government had missed a 'golden opportunity' to leverage skyrocketing oil prices into reform of the country's economy.  Tehran's Mayor has also criticized President Ahmadinejad's 'provocative foreign-policy pronouncements' arguing that, "One can talk to the world in much better ways."  President Ahmadinejad has come in for widespread criticism in the country over both domestic woes and foreign policy issues; including high inflation and unemployment as well as Iran's relations with Western countries over its long-disputed nuclear issue. CS/HGH  Original source at PressTV