Rouhani’s picks for 4 ministries win Iranian lawmakers’ confidence vote

Iran’s Parliament has given the vote of confidence to all candidates proposed by President Hassan Rouhani to fill in the four vacant ministerial positions.

Rouhani had nominated Farhad Dejpasand as minister of economic and finance affairs, Mohammad Shariatmadari as minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare, Mohammad Eslami as minister of roads and urban development and Reza Rahmani as minister of industry, mines and trade.

After extensive debates during the Parliament’s sessions on Saturday, Rouhani’s picks for the four ministries obtained the green light from the Iranian lawmakers.

At the end of the session, Dejpasand received the vote of confidence with 200 Iranian lawmakers in favor, 50 against and 15 abstentions.

This as 196 lawmakers also gave their approval to Shariatmadari. Some 63 lawmakers opposed him and five abstained.

Eslami also won a yes from 151 legislators, while 98 were against him and eight abstained.

Rahmani won 203 Iranian lawmakers’ vote of confidence while 49 opposed him and 13 abstained.