Lawmakers have given President Hassan Rouhani one month to appear in parliament to answer questions on his government’s handling of the economy that is undergoing unusually hard times over the past several months as millions struggle to make ends meet.
It is the first time parliament has summoned the embattled Rouhani, who is under mounting pressure to reshuffle his Cabinet following the upsurge in economic difficulties unseen in recent history.
Lawmakers want to question Rouhani on topics including the precipitous decline in the value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April, fragile economic growth and rising unemployment, according to ISNA News Agency.
Rouhani, a pragmatist who reduced tensions with the West by striking a nuclear deal in 2015, is facing a growing backlash since US President Donald Trump illegally pulled out from the agreement in May and said he will reimpose sanctions that seek to throttle Iran’s economy, including its oil exports.
ISNA said the MPs also want the president to explain why, more than two years after the landmark nuclear deal, Iranian banks have very limited access, if at all, to global financial services.
The nuclear accord was supposed to lift most international sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani was quoted by state TV Monday as saying that Rouhani has one month to appear in the chamber to answer the questions.
Rouhani canceled a live TV interview last week, a move that seems to have encouraged many lawmakers to question him about the poor economic performance of his government.
The government in the past managed to snub lawmakers’ demands for questioning Rouhani by convincing them to withdraw their questions. It seems such lobbying by the government failed this time.
Although 80 lawmakers submitted their questions, a Rouhani ally, vice president for parliamentary affairs Hosseinali Amiri, censured the process as “unconstitutional.”
Article 88 of the Constitution states that whenever one-fourth of the Majlis deputies sign on to a summons, the president is obliged to appear in the 290-member chamber within one month to answer their questions.
“Some lawmakers, who were convinced to withdraw their questions, were encouraged by their colleagues to again submit their questions,” Amiri was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency.
***Maximum Shake-up
Rouhani appointed a new central bank governor last week and accepted the government spokesman’s resignation on Tuesday, suggesting he is cognizant of the crucial need to reshuffle his economic team.
In a letter to Rouhani on Wednesday, 193 lawmakers welcomed the changes “as a good starting point” and called for a “maximum shake-up” in the government.
Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei has also been summoned by lawmakers, and has 10 days to defend his performance in tackling high unemployment and cutting the dole queues.
In a letter to the head of judiciary, 200 lawmakers called for “the full force of the law against those undermining the economy” who they say have contributed terribly to market volatility for personal gain.
