Iran's Parliament Grants Confidence to All Three Ministers Proposed by Hassan Rouhani

The Islamic Consultative Assembly granted confidence to the qualifications of all three ministers proposed by Hassan Rouhani for the ministries of Education, Culture and Islamic Guidance, and Sports and Youth. In a session that started on the morning of Tuesday, November 2, and lasted until the afternoon, the qualifications of Reza Salehi Amiri for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Masoud Soltani Far for the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and Fakhruddin Ahmadi Danesh-Ashtiani for the Ministry of Education were approved. Mr. Danesh-Ashtiani received the least votes in favor and the most votes against among the three proposed candidates, with 157 votes in favor, 111 votes against, and six abstentions. Salehi Amiri received 180 votes in favor, 89 votes against, and six abstentions, while Soltani Far received 193 votes in favor, 72 votes against, and nine abstentions. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, delivered a nearly one-hour speech in the morning session of the parliament, defending his government's performance and urging the parliament to grant confidence to all three of his proposed ministers. Opponents of Mr. Danesh-Ashtiani argued that his education in civil engineering is not relevant to the Ministry of Education. Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, a representative from Varamin, also stated that Fakhruddin Ahmadi Danesh-Ashtiani is a 'political player' and a 'player of sedition.' Mr. Hosseini added, 'Danesh-Ashtiani is the founder of the dissolved Participation Party, a member of the Participation faction in the sixth parliament, a member of the electoral policy council of Mo'in, a signatory of various statements in 2009, and a supporter of illegal sit-ins. I will provide documents to prove it.' This representative stated that Danesh-Ashtiani was arrested 'for the crime of sedition.' 'Sedition' is the term used by some conservatives and supporters of the Supreme Leader to describe the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election in Iran. In response, Fakhruddin Ahmadi Danesh-Ashtiani considered himself 'loyal to the revolution and the recommendations and directives of the Supreme Leader' and stated that he 'has never been arrested' and 'was not a member of the sixth parliament.' Reza Salehi Amiri was also accused by some other representatives of 'participation in sedition,' but he denied this issue. He also stated, 'I do not believe in cultural laxity and liberalism because cultural liberalism is based on humanism, secularism, and feminism, while our religious thought is based on unity, Sharia, and jurisprudence. We cannot strengthen liberalism in a society whose foundations are based on unity.' Mr. Amiri said that he did not accept the responsibility for 'name and bread' but did it 'to help the cultural community.' Masoud Soltani Far, who was introduced for the Ministry of Sports and Youth, was also accused of participating in 'sedition' like the other two candidates, but he ultimately managed to gain confidence from the tenth parliament.