Tehran City Council on Tuesday accepted the second resignation of Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi after he insisted on being unable to carry out his duties due to health reasons.
ISNA reported that 15 of the 21-member council voted in favor of accepting the resignation.
“After the council rejected my resignation, I consulted with my physician again to see if it would be possible for me to undergo surgery and treatment while continuing work at the Municipality. The doctor was insistent that I step down,” Najafi wrote in his resignation letter.
He did not reveal the nature of his illness. Some news outlets have suggested that he is suffering from prostate cancer.
Najafi, who took office in August promising to fight corruption, submitted his resignation in mid-March, but the council rejected it at a meeting on Sunday.
During a meeting held at the council at the weekend to discuss Najafi’s earlier resignation, he had said that the main reason behind his decision was the newly diagnosed disease.
The council appointed Samiollah Hosseini Makarem as caretaker mayor.
Makarem has previously held managerial positions in the Education Ministry and now is deputy for management, development and human resources at the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
