Interior Minister Seeks to Empower Provinces

Iran’s new Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi suggested giving provinces more discretion in resolving their problems.
During an interview on Iranian television, Vahidi, a former defense minister, said, “Our country is managed at the ministerial level and some feel that it should be managed more at the provincial level, to maximize the potential of the provinces and have the ministries monitor and support.” He stressed that he favors the idea. 
Vahidi continued, “Today the discretion of governors is limited and they need more power.” He stressed that these powers need to be clearly defined and appropriate budgets allocated. 
Under Iran’s current system, the interior minister appoints individual governors general for the country’s 31 provinces. Vahidi is not proposing a change to this system, but is recommending that governors gain more power to make decisions without having to wait on approval from Tehran. 
Provincial discretion is particularly important for border provinces and others farther away from the central capital Tehran. Residents of border provinces often complain of poor management, neglect and a general misunderstanding of issues at the hands of appointed governors general.