MP Identifies Ministerial Nominees

President Hassan Rouhani is expected to introduce new candidates for three ministries on Sunday, according to a member of Majlis Presiding Board. The move comes after the three ministers of education, sports and culture stepped down this week. Rouhani officially accepted their resignations on Friday. Akbar Ranjbarzadeh named the substitutes for the resigned ministers as Mohammad Ali Najafi for the Education Ministry, Reza Salehi Amiri for the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry and Masoud Soltanifar to run the Sports and Youth Ministry, Tasnim News Agency reported. Rouhani has referred to the changes as an attempt to improve the Cabinet’s efficiency. The partial reshuffling of the Cabinet has been welcomed by many, including members of parliament from both reformist and principlist camps. Amiri is currently the head of National Library and Archives Organization of Iran. In 2013, he was appointed as caretaker of the Sports and Youth Ministry and served in the post from August to October of that year. The parliament had previously given the vote of no confidence to both Amiri and Soltanifar for holding the position of sports minister. Soltanifar now heads the Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization. Najafi had also been nominated by Rouhani as education minister. However, the parliament did not approve his appointment in August 2013.