Iranian Parliament Debates on Rohani Cabinet

Iran’s parliament debated on Monday the 18-member cabinet proposed by President Sheikh Hassan Rohani ahead of a vote of confidence later in the week.

Addressing lawmakers at the start of the session, Rohani said his priority in office was to tackle the country’s economic crisis, as well as its nuclear program in a bid to lift the several rounds of Western sanctions that have hit the country’s economy hard.

Rohani unveiled his all-male cabinet of technocrats on August 4 but his nominations must be confirmed by the conservative-dominated parliament in a process that has several stages.
The new president must first present his program and defend his choice of ministers to parliament, after which five MPs will defend the government and five others challenge it.

After this supporters and opponents of each minister will speak before the vote of confidence on Wednesday, which will be for every minister individually rather than the cabinet as a whole.
In his address to parliament on Monday, Rohani laid stress on Iran’s economy.
“We all know that our country is in a difficult social and economic situation, and international pressure has aggravated these problems,” Rohani told parliament.

The sanctions are aimed at “limiting or closing the country’s channels of exchange with the outside,” he said, denouncing “the method used by Western countries… who have taken society’s elementary needs hostage” to put pressure on Iran to give up its controversial nuclear program.

He added that “in the field of diplomacy, the government was going to try to tackle this international challenge while defending the nation’s will” to hold on to its nuclear rights.
At his first press conference after taking office on August 4, Rohani had urged “serious” talks with the international community without delay to allay concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, but said that he would not surrender Iran’s rights to enrich uranium for civilian energy purposes.

Rohani won Iran’s June 14 2013 presidential election, gathering 50.7 percent of a total of 36, 704, 156 ballots.