Larijani reinstated as majority leader

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani is reinstated as head of the majority Principalist bloc at the chamber for the third consecutive term.

Larijani on Sunday garnered 25 out of the 47 votes to secure a narrow win over Seyyed Shahabeddin Sadr, another member of the Principalist camp’s central council, IRNA reported.

Larijani, who took the helm of the parliament in 2008, is reelected as the chairman of the ruling Principalist caucus for the third time in a row.

Meanwhile, Seyyed Mohammad Hassan Abu Torabi Fard with 26 votes and Mohammad Reza Bahonar with 25 votes were elected as the first and second deputies of the bloc respectively.

Other members of the bloc’s central council, Esmail Kowsari, Vali Esmaili and Seyyed Kazem Delkhosh, were elected as the secretaries of the camp.

The highly influential speaker of the Iranian parliament is considered a heavyweight principlist, who was previously Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.

In October 2009, rumors of some principalist lawmakers’ bid to oust Larijani as the majority leader went around, due to being regarded as “too mild” by some of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s more ardent supporters.