Ahmadinejad May Face Confidence Vote

[JoeTheJuggler]

From the CNN story:

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired two members of his cabinet, and may have to face a vote of confidence in parliament for the final few days of his current term, two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported Sunday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad begins his second term in the first week of August.

But the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted a government official as saying that only one cabinet member was fired, so no such vote would be needed.

Iran has 21 ministries. According to the country's constitution, if more than half the cabinet members are changed in a single term of presidency, a vote of confidence in Iran's parliament is required. During his presidency, Ahmadinejad has replaced nine cabinet members. Two more would make 11 -- more than half the total.

My thinking is that even if he did fire 2 people recently, if the law requires a confidence vote, he'll simply "un-fire" one of them to weasel out of it.

On the other hand, he might also twist a few arms and run the vote to go his way which would help him get a bit of "legitimacy".

 

[Foolmewunz]

I somehow doubt that the ten positions he's already replaced are going to vote against him. Wouldn't it be more likely that all those fine folk who owe him their jobs would vote for him.

This isn't like a no-confidence vote where your cabinet and inner circle essentially say they can't work with you any longer; it seems to be merely required by the math(s) of their law.

Why would he dump two ministers just weeks before commencing his new term? Is there something in Iranian law that requires that you carry over the current ministers into the new term? Seems to me that if it's like western parliamentary democracies, he could just change as many as he wanted in the new term. Unless it's some sort of legal requirement, it seems that he just wants to embarass them by removing them rather than letting them resign for the new session.

 

[geni]

Trying to read iranian politics is tricky at the best of times. Could be that Khamenei is trying to make it clear to Ahmadinejad that he (Khamenei) is more dirrectly in charge now.

 

[Ryokan]

I somehow doubt that the ten positions he's already replaced are going to vote against him.

It's a parliament vote, not a cabinet vote. The people replaced are in his cabinet, not members of parliament.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

It's a parliament vote, not a cabinet vote. The people replaced are in his cabinet, not members of parliament.

That was my understanding.

Does anyone know how Ahmadinejad's relationship with the parliament is?

 

[Dr Adequate]

Yeah, maybe he wants a confidence vote 'cos he knows he'll win.

 

[Foolmewunz]

It's a parliament vote, not a cabinet vote. The people replaced are in his cabinet, not members of parliament.

Sorry - I'd skipped over this thread. Yeah - I had thought it was a cabinet vote. Stupid assumption on my part.