Iran Parliament begins impeachment of minister

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) begins an impeachment session for the country’s Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi.

The Tuesday impeachment session is being chaired by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

During the session, Akhoundi is expected to answer the lawmakers’ questions on what they view as his failure to implement the promised plans for urban development, and resolve the complexities falling within his sphere of authority.

In May, 24 lawmakers signed and forwarded a motion to the Presiding Board of the Parliament to impeach the minister.

Since then, 11 of the MPs have withdrawn their signatures, citing satisfaction with the explanations provided by Akhoundi at the legislature’s Development Commission.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani named Akhoundi to the parliament as the candidate for the position in summer 2013. He was then approved by the legislature for the office with 159 favorable votes, 107 against and 18 abstentions.

Akhoundi holds a PhD in Political Economy, which he obtained from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2006. He served as the minister of housing and urban development under former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from 1993 to 1997.