Rouhani: I Intended to Introduce Three Female Ministers, but It Wasn't Possible

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, said on Tuesday, August 15, that he intended to introduce three female ministers in his cabinet and had even specified their positions, but ultimately, this was not possible. Speaking at the beginning of the session reviewing the qualifications of the proposed ministers of his twelfth government in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Rouhani did not disclose the reason for not introducing a female minister, stating, "The reason why it didn't happen will remain for later." No women were introduced in Rouhani's proposed cabinet. However, he mentioned that he had ordered the inclusion of female managers in deputy minister positions and management roles. During the session, Mojtaba Zolnour, a representative from Qom, referred to Rouhani's comments that "there was no pressure in determining the members of the government," but he pointed out that Rouhani "emphasized after 20 minutes that three female ministers had been chosen but were not introduced due to pressures. If statements can change in 20 minutes, what will happen to the country in the next four years?" In recent days, Rouhani appointed three women as assistants and deputies in his government, but the failure to introduce a female minister, despite numerous requests including a petition from 175 members of parliament, has drawn criticism from some political and civil activists. Rouhani and his close associates have not commented on the reasons for not introducing a female minister. Previously, some members of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, including Mohammad Hosseini, the Minister of Culture, stated in interviews that religious authorities opposed the introduction of a female minister. Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in parliament, criticized the lack of a female minister in Rouhani's cabinet, saying, "We need to investigate where the root cause lies." Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated in a speech on May 10, 2013, that it is "wrong to take pride in the number of female ministers, female representatives, and female deputies in various sectors" in the Islamic Republic. However, Alireza Marandi, a former health minister and representative in the eighth parliament, mentioned that Khamenei had told him after the introduction of three female ministers by Ahmadinejad that he had no objection to a Ministry of Women, which is why he defended Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi.