Following the impeachment of the minister of science, research and technology there were claims and counterclaims that political motives played a role in the dismissal of President Rouhani’s science chief. On August 24, Aftab-e Yazd Newspaper published the comments of a principlist deputy who was once the speaker of the chamber:
In terms of naming an acting minister, no one was more set than Mr. Najafi,” he added. As for his assessment of the event, he stressed, “I don’t regard the appointment of Mr. Najafi as an act of defiance against parliament.
“Impeachment is not unusual as far as interactions between parliament and the government are concerned. Almost every government has to deal with such a thing. Mr. Rouhani was in parliament for two decades and is well aware of this parliamentary procedure,” Golam-Ali Haddad Adel, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly who was once the Speaker of parliament, commented on the impeachment hearing of Science, Research and Technology Minister Reza Faraji-Dana, who failed to re-win a vote of confidence from MPs and was dismissed on August 20, 2014.
“In terms of naming an acting minister, no one was more set than Mr. Najafi,” he added. As for his assessment of the event, he stressed, “I don’t regard the appointment of Mr. Najafi as an act of defiance against parliament.”
“Had the former minister paid more attention to concerns expressed by the MPs, the impeachment could have been averted. Parliament deputies granted Faraji-Dana a vote of confidence nine months ago, but certain developments led to his impeachment,” he went on to say.
Calling maintenance of stability and calm as the major concern of MPs, Haddad Adel, a member of the Education and Research Committee in the 9th parliament, reiterated, “Some falsely identified the issue of scholarships as the cause of the impeachment which was indeed a wrong impression. Instead, the real reason behind it was the return of a disturbed atmosphere to universities thanks to the admission of starred students [University students who were banned from continuing their education for committing offenses], presence of professors who did not fit the job, and other matters which were raised during the impeachment session. Personally, I am sorry that an experienced professor and a respected character like Dr. Faraji failed to carry on as a result of his performance.”
The impeachment hearing was truly serious. Those who were for and against it defended their stance with tenacity and in earnest, but the atmosphere sweeping the parliament was not poisoned by illogical behavior and there was no disrespect for any side, including proponents, opponents and even the minister.
He added: “The impeachment hearing was truly serious. Those who were for and against it defended their stance with tenacity and in earnest, but the atmosphere sweeping the parliament was not poisoned by illogical behavior and there was no disrespect for any side, including proponents, opponents and even the minister. Aside from a few comments made prior to the vote of confidence by the Speaker Ali Larijani which drew flak from a number of MPs, he otherwise handled the session very well.”
As for the formation of a “Moderation Caucus” in parliament he said, “The Commission does exist already, whether or not it hangs out its shingle will change nothing on parliament floor.”
On the nomination of Mr. Najafi as the acting science minister, Mr. Haddad Adel, who is also a member of the Expediency Council, stated, “In my opinion, given the short time that the president had to pick one to take the helm of the ministry temporarily, he did not come across anyone who is fitter than Mr. Najafi, and I don’t regard the appointment as an act of defiance.”
