Continued Protests Against Proposed Minister of Science; His Explanations Regarding His Performance

As protests continue at universities in Iran against the introduction of Mansour Gholami as the proposed Minister of Science, Mr. Gholami claimed that during his management, "no student has been subjected to disciplinary punishment for political activities." In recent days, protests have been held at several universities in Iran, including Amir Kabir, Science and Industry, Allameh Tabatabai, Tehran Art, Ferdowsi Mashhad, and Qazvin, against the introduction of Mansour Gholami as the proposed Minister of Science. Meanwhile, according to ILNA news agency, three student organizations at Amir Kabir University in Tehran invited the proposed minister to attend a ceremony at the university on Saturday, November 6, to answer students' questions. The Progressive Islamic Students Association, the Muslim Students' Thought Center, and the Culture and Politics Association of Amir Kabir University urged Mr. Gholami to participate in this meeting instead of "lobbying and behind-the-scenes negotiations and pressuring to create a rift in the student movement and silencing the voices of protest in universities" and to provide a "reasoned response" to the criticisms against him. The letter referenced the protests of 145 student organizations, 525 student publication activists, and over three thousand activists from Mr. Rouhani's electoral campaign against the introduction of Mansour Gholami. Among the criticisms raised by student activists regarding Mr. Gholami's management at Hamadan University are "the refusal to issue a permit for a reformist student organization," "not supporting student activities," "inappropriate treatment of students," and "the appointment of a person close to the Stability Front as the cultural deputy." Nevertheless, the proposed Minister of Science rejected the criticisms of his performance during a meeting of the Hope Fraction in Parliament on Tuesday, November 2, stating that during his management at Hamadan University, "no student has been subjected to disciplinary punishment for political activities." Mansour Gholami announced that "any activity in universities must be free within the framework of the law, and we will not allow it to be prevented." Following the publication of these statements, student activists released images of a disciplinary committee ruling from Hamadan University regarding one of the responsible managers of student publications, who was suspended for one semester due to support for protests against the 2009 presidential election. Meanwhile, Bahram Parsai, the spokesperson for the Hope Fraction in Parliament, announced after the meeting with Mr. Gholami that "due to the numerous complexities in managing the Ministry of Science, there are concerns." According to Mr. Parsai, Mansour Gholami was the twenty-first choice of Hassan Rouhani for the Ministry of Science. The spokesperson for the Hope Fraction announced that this fraction will announce its opinion on the proposed candidates for the Ministries of Science and Energy next Sunday. Gholamreza Heydari, a representative from Tehran in the tenth Parliament, had also previously reported that Mansour Gholami was the twenty-first choice of Hassan Rouhani. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist representative in Parliament, also stated that Mr. Gholami "is far from our ideals," but because "the introduction of about 10 to 12 potential candidates was fruitless," he could be "an acceptable option." In this context, the website of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic acknowledged in August this year his influence regarding candidates for ministries such as Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence, stating: "In regard to some ministries like Science, Education, and Islamic Guidance, the Supreme Leader has sensitivities." The name of the proposed Minister of Science was not included in the list of ministers that Hassan Rouhani introduced to the Parliament in August, and this ministry has been managed by an acting head since the beginning of the twelfth government. Hassan Rouhani's decision not to introduce a Minister of Science at the time of introducing the proposed cabinet faced criticisms, including from Ali Motahari, who described this decision as illegal. Additionally, after the tenth Parliament did not grant confidence to Habibollah Bi-Tamr for the Ministry of Energy, Hassan Rouhani has now introduced Reza Ardakanian as the proposed Minister of Energy to the Parliament. Reza Ardakanian served as the deputy minister of energy during Habibollah Bi-Tamr's ministry from 1998 to 2000 and as the deputy minister for water affairs from 2000 to 2004. The method of planning water transfer projects and dam construction policies were among the criticisms of Mr. Bi-Tamr's performance.