Widespread Reactions to Proposed Ministers by Masoud Pezeshkian

The official announcement of the proposed ministers by Masoud Pezeshkian for gaining the confidence vote from the parliament has faced widespread reactions, with some reformists and supporters of Pezeshkian expressing disappointment over the composition of the ministers. A former parliament member stated on Sunday, August 21, that the Iranian president received a 'failing grade' in introducing the cabinet, while political activists and social media users criticized the presence of individuals misaligned with Pezeshkian's promises. Azar Mansouri, the Secretary-General of the Reform Front, criticized the cabinet composition on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that Pezeshkian appoint caretakers for some ministries so that he can later introduce ministers who symbolize 'national unity.' Pezeshkian submitted his list of proposed ministers to the parliament, with Zarif introduced as the foreign minister. The Reform Front also wrote a letter to the president on Saturday, prior to the cabinet introduction, stating, 'We are hearing concerning news about the arrangement of your cabinet.' In this letter, Pezeshkian was reminded that he was the exclusive candidate of the Reform Front and warned, 'If you do not send a hopeful message to the people in the early steps of forming your government, not only will the trust built among voters be lost, but you will also lose the necessary backing to pursue your promises made to the people in the elections.' Parvaneh Salahshouri, a reformist activist and former representative of the tenth parliament, wrote on X, 'Pezeshkian received a failing grade in his first test, except in a few rare cases.' She also emphasized that the introduced cabinet was formed 'not based on merit and expertise and the consultation of working groups and the steering council, but through clear interference and share-seeking from various parties.' The steering council, chaired by Mohammad Javad Zarif, was supposed to play a key role in introducing ministerial candidates to Pezeshkian, and Zarif himself has been appointed as the Deputy for Strategic Affairs of the President. Conflicting information has been published regarding the share of individuals introduced by the steering council in the announced list of ministers. On the other hand, the retention of Esmail Khatib, the Minister of Intelligence from Ebrahim Raisi's government, by the president, as well as the introduction of Ahmad Donyamali, a figure close to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament, has sparked controversy. Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the former Secretary-General of the Construction Workers Party, referred to a tweet by Donyamali during the election campaign, where he referred to the potential victory of Pezeshkian as 'the intimidated government and the blocked government,' stating, 'The president's constraints in forming a national unity government can be understood. But how can one accept responsibility while believing that this government is intimidated?' Additionally, some social media users have questioned the qualifications of Khatib as the Minister of Intelligence, referencing his three-year record in Ebrahim Raisi's government and the deadly attacks on the Shah Cheragh shrine and the assassination of Ismail Haniya. Moreover, the background of Alireza Kazemi, the proposed Minister of Education, who has held a position in the Drug Control Headquarters, has raised objections among supporters of the new Iranian president. Kazemi was previously the caretaker of the Ministry of Education in Ebrahim Raisi's government. Given the presence of several officials and ministers from the previous government in Pezeshkian's proposed list, some social media users have ironically referred to it as 'Raisi's second government.' The introduction of Eskandar Momeni for the Ministry of Interior has also faced severe criticism from Pezeshkian's supporters. Momeni has held various positions in the police force, and some say he is close to Ahmad Reza Radan, the police commander, and his ministry implies stricter measures against opponents of mandatory hijab. Meanwhile, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior in the thirteenth government and former commander of the Quds Force, has played a significant role in suppressing women opposing mandatory hijab over the past two years, and the introduction of another military figure in the fourteenth government has become newsworthy. Previously, Hossein Alai and Majid Ansari were mentioned as the main candidates for the Ministry of Interior in Pezeshkian's government, and many have expressed surprise at the introduction of Momeni. The average age of the ministers, around 60 years, has also caught the attention of some users, while Mohammad Javad Zarif and other supporters of Pezeshkian had previously promised the presence of new and younger faces in the cabinet. On the other hand, Ali Asghar Shafieian, the director of the Ensaf News website and a media activist close to Pezeshkian, referred to the 'legal and structural limitations of the president' in selecting ministers, which could be a subtle reference to the intervention of the Supreme Leader, the opinions of security institutions, and the potential negative vote from the conservative parliament on the ministers. He wrote in another tweet, 'Do not burn the cabinet for one or a few individuals!' Hussein Marashi, the Secretary-General of the Construction Workers Party, without providing further details, told Khabar Online that the current proposed cabinet is 50% different from the cabinet that the steering council introduced to Pezeshkian because the 'inquiries' of some of the introduced individuals from security institutions were 'negative.' Previously, Fayyaz Zahed and Mohammad Mohajeri criticized the necessity of inquiries from security institutions such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization for selecting ministers in a joint note published in the Etemad newspaper, stating that the president should have the authority to choose his desired individuals. Reactions to the cabinet list are not limited to Pezeshkian's supporters; opponents of the government have also commented on it. Malek Shariati, a parliament representative who supported Alireza Zakani and then Saeed Jalili in the recent presidential election, wrote on X that he 'predicts' at least four proposed ministers will not receive a vote of confidence from the parliament. Ahmad Rastineh, another conservative parliament representative, also told the Mehr News Agency, 'Probably two or three of the proposed options will not be able to pass through the parliament and receive a vote of confidence.' Masoud Pezeshkian stated earlier in August that he would take his cabinet list to the Supreme Leader to introduce them to the parliament with 'coordination and consultation' with him. The winner of the Iranian presidential election said that after compiling the cabinet list by his advisors, they would approach Ali Khamenei in the final stage and reach a 'final conclusion' in coordination and consultation with him to introduce the cabinet members.