Updated on
Summary
Iran's parliament began a three-day session on Sunday to debate and vote on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed new cabinet following his disputed re-election in June. Manouchehr Mottaki has been appointed as Foreign Minister and Mustafa Ahmad Najar as Interior Minister. The outcome of the vote on the hardline president's 21-member cabinet is seen as a test of his hold on power after the June 12 election, which defeated candidates say was rigged in his favor. The authorities deny the allegations. Some members of parliament have said they are likely to reject several ministerial nominees because of their lack of experience. Political analysts expect the assembly to approve a cabinet eventually but a stormy process could damage Ahmadinejad politically. The president, presenting his new government and its planned policies to parliament, told MPs he planned important steps forward during his second four-year term. Ahmadinejad's proposed cabinet line-up includes three women, for the posts of education, health and social welfare. They would be the first female ministers in the socially conservative Islamic Republic.
