Iran Parliament Holds Final Session to Vet Ministerial Picks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The final round of parliamentary sessions for vetting of President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed ministers began on Sunday ahead of a ballot for the vote of confidence for the 17 picks.
The Parliament has held intensive sessions since last week to discuss the credentials and backgrounds of the proposed ministers for the vote of confidence.
The lawmakers are going to hold a ballot today to vote for or against the ministerial nominees.
The Sunday’s session started with debates on the credentials of Habibollah Bitaraf, the nominee for the post of minister of Energy, who used to serve in the same post for eight years in Mohammad Khatami’s cabinet.
In an address to the lawmakers on August 15, President Rouhani outlined his plans for the second term, and gave a brief introduction of each of the 17 proposed ministers and defended their backgrounds.
Half of the proposed cabinet has remained unchanged compared to the first term. Nine out of the 17 proposed ministers were at the helm in the first term. Only the position of minister of Sciences, Research, and Technology is still falling vacant.
If any of the proposed ministers fails to win a vote of confidence, Rouhani will have up to three months to name a replacement.
President Rouhani submitted the list of his ministers to the Parliament on August 8, four days after his swearing-in ceremony.
The president took the oath of office on August 5. He had two weeks to submit his new cabinet to the parliament, but drew up the shortlist in only four days.