Member of Hope Faction Presidency: Rouhani Announced Changes to Half of the Cabinet

Reports indicate that members of the presidency and interaction committee of the Hope Faction of Parliament met with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Wednesday, July 28. A member of the presidency of the Hope Faction, which consists of representatives supportive of Hassan Rouhani and the so-called reformist movement in Parliament, stated that Rouhani announced during this meeting that half of the cabinet members for the twelfth government would be changed. According to ISNA, Fatemeh Saidi, a member of the presidency of the Hope Faction, said regarding this meeting: Rouhani 'announced that the list of the twelfth government cabinet has not yet been finalized and that he is currently conducting final reviews. Regarding the presence of women in the cabinet, the President had a favorable approach but also mentioned some considerations. Nevertheless, he stated that his view on the issue of women is the same as the one he pursued during the election period.' This member of the presidency of the Hope Faction emphasized: 'He said he is looking for a more dynamic cabinet and that probably half of the current colleagues in the government will change.' Since the announcement of Hassan Rouhani's victory in the presidential elections, various speculations have arisen regarding the composition of his cabinet in the twelfth government. Meanwhile, some groups supporting the president had asked him to dismiss some ministers from the eleventh government. Previously, Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope Faction in Parliament, had also called for the President to consult with the Reformists' Policy Council and the Hope Faction in Parliament for cabinet formation, while stating that 'we will not seek any shares.' Tayebeh Siavashi, a member of the Hope Faction, also stated that 'so far, the ideas and demands of the reformists and the Hope Faction have not been considered in the cabinet formation.' Previously, several reformist figures had called for new changes in Rouhani's second government. Youthfulness and the inclusion of women are their main demands. Before the presidential elections, some reformists had criticized the performance of the economic team of the eleventh government. Meanwhile, 175 members of the Iranian Parliament on Wednesday, July 28, requested in a letter to Hassan Rouhani to introduce 'capable and deserving women' as ministers in the twelfth government of the Islamic Republic. This comes as Rouhani, in response to calls for women's presence in the cabinet, stated on July 3 that steps must be taken 'step by step' for appointing women to 'high levels of management.' Meanwhile, Bahram Parsai, the spokesperson for the Hope Faction, regarding the members of the presidency and interaction committee of the Hope Faction with Hassan Rouhani, stated: 'In this meeting, the members of the Hope Faction presented their demands and opinions regarding the cabinet and the way of forming the twelfth cabinet to the President.' Bahram Parsai added: 'In this meeting, we requested the President to pay attention to a discourse arising from the 24 million votes in selecting the cabinet.' The spokesperson for the Hope Faction emphasized: 'The President announced in this meeting that he welcomes consultation and collaboration with like-minded groups and individuals and will incorporate these opinions into the cabinet formation.' In this context, members of the Sunni Faction of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also wrote a letter to Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, requesting him to use specialized and efficient Sunni forces in the composition of his future ministers. According to ISNA, the Sunni representatives in their letter referred to the support of the Sunni community and Iranian ethnic groups for reforms and Hassan Rouhani in the recent elections, asking the President to create conditions for the presence of Sunni elites in the composition of the future ministers by adhering to his electoral slogans. Rouhani's government officials say that the President intends to announce his proposed ministers to the Islamic Consultative Assembly simultaneously with the swearing-in ceremony, which will be held on August 5.