Iran: Parliament and Ahmadinejad set to clash over impeachments (UPDATED)

by rahul | November 11, 2008 at 06:44 pm

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Iranian President Ahmadinejad is having a rather difficult time. The Parliament (Masjid) is pushing towards the impeachment of another of his Minister. This time, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mohammad Soleimani, could be impeached over his " lack of managerial ability and the dissatisfaction of rank and file with progress in the ministry." This political move shows an increasing discontent among conservatives over the performance of the Ahmadinejad administration. If successful, this impeachment would be the last one required to set in motion a constitutional procedure -vote of confidence- against the whole Ahmadinejad´s cabinet. In the meantime, former President Khatami continues to toy with the idea of a political come back to participate in the general elections next year. However, an earlier return could fire-back his political intentions as the conservatives would unite to oppose him.

Majlis 'studying Soleimani impeachment' Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:19:29 GMT. Iran's Majlis (parliament) is studying the impeachment case of the country's communication and information minister, a lawmaker says. Iranian parliamentarian Suleiman Jafarzadeh said Tuesday that lawmakers are pursuing the case for Mohammad Soleimani, Minister of Communication and Information Technology. "The impeachment case is now with the Majlis Speaker (Ali Larijani), and we are following the issue," he added. Jafarzadeh, the representative of the city of Makoo in western Iran, had announced in mid-October that the impeachment case would focus on issues such as the minister's lack of managerial ability and the dissatisfaction of rank and file with progress in the ministry. The impeachment case had reportedly been signed by 40 representatives. Under the Iranian law, an impeachment motion needs a minimum of ten signatures to be put on the Majlis agenda. The news comes shortly after Majlis dismissed former interior minister Ali Kordan for his forged Oxford University Ph.D degree - President Ahmadinejad cabinet's 10th replaced minister. Iran's Constitution requires the president to seek a vote of confidence for his entire cabinet if more than half of the 21 total ministers (11) are replaced. MD/HGH. Original source at PressTV

"Former president Mohammad Khatami has discussed his options in meetings with some senior officials," Tabnak news website quoted an informed source as saying on Tuesday. The former president, who is still holding meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials, has yet to adopt a clear stance on his candidacy, the source added. Prospect of Khatami's candidacy has escalated disagreement among Reformists. Executives of Construction (Kargozaran) Party believes a Khatami presidential bid is a grave mistake and would harm his image in the same way Hashemi Rafsanjani was desecrated in the ninth presidential elections in 2004.
Iran's Hambastegi (Solidarity) Party says Khatami's participation in the next presidential election could prove to be counterproductive. "Khatami's candidacy would be harmful for Reformists as it would prompt the rival camp to better unite, resulting in a loss for the Reformists," said The Chairman of the Supreme Council of Iran's Hambastegi (Solidarity) Mohammad-Reza Rah-Chamani. Although the 65-year-old reformist cleric has expressed disinterest in running in the June 2009 elections, he asserted that he would do 'whatever serves the best interests of the country'. "I have to give serious consideration before I decide whether to run in the election. Personally, I have no desire or any enthusiasm to return to power," said the former president. "If the field is not ready for work, (my comeback) would not do anyone any good," he added. AO/SBB/SME/MMN. Original source at PressTV