Iran's Parliament Prevents Sunni Representative from Serving as Vice President

Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly opposed the resignation of Abdul Karim Hosseinzadeh from his parliamentary position, thus preventing him from serving as Iran's Vice President. On September 5, Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Hosseinzadeh, a Kurdish Sunni representative, as his "Deputy for Rural Development and Underprivileged Areas," citing his "commitment and valuable experiences." However, Hosseinzadeh's appointment required parliamentary approval for his resignation, which was rejected by the majority of representatives, making it impossible for him to take on the vice presidency. On October 4, after Hosseinzadeh explained his reasons for resigning and opponents voiced their objections, the representatives voted against his resignation with 107 votes in favor, 129 against, and 5 abstentions out of 247 present. Jotba Yousofi, a member of the parliamentary board, stated that due to the opposition from representatives, Hosseinzadeh would continue his work and "cannot be the Vice President." He further explained that according to the internal regulations of the parliament, representatives only need to resign for presidential and ministerial positions, as the president is elected by popular vote and ministers are appointed with the parliament's confidence vote. Thus, resignations for other positions must be approved by the parliament. Mehrdad Lahouti, another member of parliament, mentioned that the vote was to keep Hosseinzadeh in the legislative body due to his "capabilities and experience." He also described the decision as "completely unrelated" to his Sunni identity, stating that "parliament members believe his presence in the parliament will be more effective and beneficial." Before the voting, Mojtaba Zolnouri, a representative from Qom, criticized the request for Hosseinzadeh's resignation, claiming that resignations for government positions undermine the dignity of the parliament. He added that the number of representatives who have moved from the parliament to the government is "unusual." Sunni Muslims have rarely held key positions of power since the revolution. Hosseinzadeh, who is close to the reformist political movement and is 44 years old, has been representing the cities of Naqdeh and Oshnavieh in the Iranian parliament since 2012. Masoud Pezeshkian had criticized the lack of representation of ethnic and religious minorities, especially Sunni Kurds, in important positions during his electoral campaign.