Rouhani’s Picks for 3 Ministries Win Lawmakers’ Confidence Vote

After extensive debates during two Parliament  sessions on Tuesday, Rouhani’s picks for the three ministries obtained the green light from the Iranian lawmakers.

At the end of the evening session, Reza Salehi Amiri, the proposed nominee for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, received the vote of confidence with 180 Iranian lawmakers in favor, 89 against and six abstentions.

This as 193 lawmakers also gave their approval to Massoud Soltanifar, as the president’s pick for the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. Some 72 lawmakers opposed him and nine abstained.

Fakhroddin Ahmadi Danesh Ashtiani also won a yes from 157 legislators, while 111 were against him and six abstained, to become the new minister of education.

Soltanifar is the current vice president and the head of the Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran; Salehi Amiri is the current head of the National Library and Archives Organization of Iran; and Danesh Ashtiani is a university professor.

In a letter to Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on October 23, the president had introduced the candidates for the three vacant ministerial portfolios for votes of confidence.

The president’s move came after the resignation of Ali Jannati, Mahmoud Goudarzi, and Ali Asghar Fani as the ministers of culture and Islamic guidance, sports and youth affairs, and education, respectively, last week.