Rouhani Appoints 3 Women Cabinet Members

The reelected President Hassan Rouhani appointed three women to top posts in his Cabinet, keeping the share of females in his second administration at the same level as his first.

In separate decrees issued on Wednesday, Rouhani appointed Massoumeh Ebtekar as vice president for women and family affairs, La'ya Joneydi as vice president for legal affairs and Shahindokht Molaverdi as his special aide for citizen rights affairs, the president's website reported.

Ebtekar, the head of Department of Environment in Rouhani's first-term Cabinet, replaces Molaverdi for women and family affairs.

Molaverdi's new post was created late last year, following the unveiling of the Charter on Citizens' Rights aimed at raising awareness about public rights. She will oversee the implementation of the charter, which commits government bodies to ensure the enforcement of its 120 articles.

Rouhani, who was reelected in a landslide in May, proposed nominees for 17 out of 18 ministerial positions in his second Cabinet to parliament for a vote of confidence on Tuesday, with his pick for the Science Ministry to be introduced later.

Of note in the Cabinet lineup of the 62-year-old president was the exclusion of women.

The all-male list of Cabinet ministers raised eyebrows among supporters of Rouhani and drew criticism from women activists, as Rouhani had talked about the need to address the gender imbalance in politics and business during his election campaign.

The sole female minister since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution served under Rouhani's predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who named Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi as health minister for his second Cabinet.

In his first four years in office, Rouhani had appointed three females as vice presidents, who do not require parliamentary approval, but are considered Cabinet members.