Tehran, August 23: Iran’s parliament will vote on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s new cabinet over a three-day period starting August 30, the state broadcaster reported on Sunday.
“The parliament will examine the competence of the proposed ministers from next Sunday to Tuesday (August 30 to September 1),” the state broadcaster said.
Ahmadinejad unveiled on Wednesday his 21-member cabinet, which includes 11 new faces with no ministerial experience, among them three women for the first time in the Islamic republic.
Speculation is running high that the conservative-dominated assembly will reject several of his choices, such as his nominee for the key ministry of oil, for a lack of proper credentials and experience in the field.
Ahmadinejad is set to form a new government under the shadow of a defeated opposition still refusing to recognize his presidency, while scores of critics and opposition supporters remain in custody more than two months after his re-election, amid allegations they wanted to overthrow the Islamic regime.
The opposition says the hardliner’s victory in the June 12 poll was a result of massive vote rigging. Its allegations triggered mass street protests in Iranian cities, which turned violent and officially left about 30 people dead, though the opposition says the death toll from the protests may have been much higher.
–Agencies