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Iran lawmakers to vote on impeaching two more ministers
TEHRAN, Aug 29, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Iran’s parliament launched impeachment
proceedings against two more cabinet ministers on Wednesday, as opponents of
President Hassan Rouhani piled further pressure on his government.
The labour and economy ministers have already been sacked by parliament
this month and, on Tuesday, Rouhani faced his first grilling by lawmakers in
his five years in power.
Conservative opponents of the president, a political moderate, appear keen
to drive home their advantage in the wake of a deepening economic crisis
triggered by the reimposition of US sanctions.
On Wednesday, 20 members of parliament signed a motion to summon Education
Minister Mohammad Bathaei, who must now appear within 10 days to face
questions and an impeachment vote.
On Tuesday, two other groups of MPs presented motions to impeach the
minister of industry, mines and business, Mohammad Shariatmadari.
Rouhani faced tough questions over his handling of the economy when he
appeared before lawmakers on Tuesday.
In voting at the end of the session, lawmakers declared they were
unsatisfied with his answers to four of their five questions, covering
unemployment, smuggling and the collapsing value of the Iranian rial.
Under parliamentary rules, the issues could then have been referred for
judicial review, but parliament speaker Ali Larijani — a close ally of
Rouhani — said on Wednesday there were no legal grounds for doing so.
Parliament can theoretically impeach Rouhani, but he is protected by
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has said removing the president
would “play into the hands of the enemy”.
In a speech at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Khamenei urged lawmakers to
work “day and night” to resolve the country’s economic problems.
Rouhani has been greatly weakened by the Washington’s reimposition of
sanctions following its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and
major powers, which has undone his plans to attract much-needed foreign
investment.
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Since President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal in May, almost all
major foreign firms operating in Iran have announced they are leaving, and
further pain is expected in November when Washington reimposes sanctions on
Iran’s crucial oil sector.
The motion to impeach the industries minister cited high inflation,
particularly in the car industry.
Those seeking to impeach the education minister focused on a series of
issues linked to school budgets, the curriculum and alleged mismanagement.
BSS/AFP/SR/1700 HRS