Hadad Adel Considered the Vote of Confidence for Rouhani's Ministers as 'Conditional'

Gholamali Hadad Adel, head of the Principlist faction in the Iranian parliament, rejected any form of 'trade-off' between the government and parliament regarding the vote of confidence for Mohammad Farhadi, the Minister of Science, stating that the votes of representatives for him and all ministers are 'conditional'. According to the House of Representatives news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mr. Hadad Adel said on Saturday, December 8: 'We never wish to take the minister's time with yellow or red cards or to have excessive conflicts and issues in this regard. However, the vote of confidence from parliament representatives for all ministers is conditional.' He emphasized that one cannot separate universities from politics, deeming the political sensitivities of the parliament in selecting the Minister of Science as 'natural' and stating that this ministry has always had a 'heated and vibrant political atmosphere.' Mr. Hadad Adel added: 'The parliament's sensitivity at the beginning of the minister's term regarding political issues is natural. We hope that after this sensitivity, there will be no such issues, and the field of cooperation between the parliament and the ministry will be a field of work and execution.' Elias Naderan, a representative from Tehran, had previously stated that the parliament's vote of confidence for Mr. Farhadi and all ministers who received a vote of confidence from the parliament is 'conditional.' Gholamali Hadad Adel also rejected any form of 'trade-off' in the parliament's vote of confidence for the Minister of Science, adding: 'Rest assured, if the meaning of interaction is understanding, we accept that.' Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, during the vote of confidence session for Mr. Farhadi, pointed out the similarities between him and previous candidates introduced for the Ministry of Science, stating that the vote of confidence for Mr. Farhadi would lead to the parliament being accused of 'double standards' and 'would raise the suspicion that a deal is in place.' Es'hagh Jahangiri, the first vice president, said on Saturday at the introduction ceremony of Mr. Farhadi as the Minister of Science that he is of the same 'type' as previous ministers and heads of the Ministry of Science and that there is no difference in political, managerial, and scientific thinking compared to previous ministers. Mohammad Ali Najafi, the caretaker of the Ministry of Science, also stated in this session that his approach to the ministry's programs has been such that he has never felt temporary. Mohammad Farhadi, the Minister of Science, emphasized the need to 'avoid distractions' and to transform universities into 'entrepreneurial universities,' adding: 'We must realize the third generation of universities, as the first generation is educational, the second is research-oriented, and the third generation of universities focuses on entrepreneurship and wealth.' On Wednesday, December 5, parliament representatives gave a vote of confidence to Mohammad Farhadi, the fifth proposed candidate by Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, for the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. The Iranian parliament had previously impeached and dismissed Reza Faraji Dana, the Minister of Science, in its session on August 29. Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi and Fakhruddin Ahmadinejad Danesh Ashtiani, the next proposed candidates by Hassan Rouhani for the Ministry of Science, failed to gain the parliament's vote of confidence. The Iranian parliament representatives had also not given a vote of confidence to Jafar Mili Monfared, the proposed Minister of Science at the beginning of Hassan Rouhani's cabinet formation.