President Hassan Rouhani defended his nominees for the ministries of economy, cooperatives, industries and roads during an open session of parliament on Saturday, stressing that they are highly qualified to help navigate the country through the current challenging time.
The session was held to debate Farhad Dejpasand and Mohammad Shariatmadari, who had been nominated to lead the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance and the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, respectively, ISNA reported.
Lawmakers also discussed the qualifications of Reza Rahmani who had been named for the industrial portfolio, and Mohammad Eslami, the president's choice for the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The 290-seat parliament was scheduled to vote on the nominees late at night. The general mood in parliament was in favor of Rouhani’s picks.
The latest reshuffle in top economic posts came as the administration is struggling to address a host of challenges, including high inflation, unemployment and a slump in the rial currency.
The deteriorating economic problems have been blamed on flawed domestic policies and the reimposition of sanctions by the United States after it decided in May to pull out of a nuclear agreement signed between Tehran and major world powers in 2015.
Rouhani spoke in favor of his pick for economy minister, saying that Dejpasand's qualifications make him the most suitable candidate to head the ministry, which is tasked with curbing inflation and boosting economic growth in cooperation with the Central Bank of Iran and the Plan and Budget Organization.
"Dejpasand can greatly contribute to efforts aimed at reforming the economy, particularly the banking sector," he said.
Job Creation
The president also said Shariatmadari, his proposed cooperatives minister, is capable of advancing the ministry's agenda, which is focused on reducing unemployment and supporting low-income families.
In defense of his choice of industries minister, the president drew attention to Rahmani's past experience as head of the parliament's commission on mining and industries, and said his successful track record proves that he is competent to lead the ministry in overcoming the current economic challenges.
"Today, the important Ministry of Industries has great responsibilities because in addition to issues related to the industrial and production sectors, it plays a significant role in addressing people's needs and providing them with essential goods as well as making arrangements with the central bank," he said.
Rouhani hailed the qualifications of Eslami and said he will be able to advance efforts meant to resolve problems in the housing and transportation sectors.
Issues related to truck drivers in particular should be dealt with properly and their working conditions should be improved, he said.
Recent months have witnessed strikes by truckers who demanded better pay and government subsidies to buy tires and other expensive parts that have to be imported, among other things.
Poor Record
Yahya Kamalipour, one of the lawmakers who spoke against Dejpasand's nomination, said he was not successful in his past role as deputy head of the Plan and Budget Organization so is not qualified to be at the helm of the Economy ministry.
In a speech, Dejpasand said he has various plans to bring inflation under control and pledged to use the experience of administration members, parliamentarians, academics and those working in the private sector to help give the economy a shot in the arm.
Lawmaker Vali Maleki, who was opposed to Shariatmadari becoming the minister of cooperatives, said almost half of his proposed initiatives are not compliant with the guidelines stipulated in the country's major policies, especially those related to "Resistance Economy" that calls for supporting and enhancing domestic production.
Shariatmadari, Rahmani and Eslami were scheduled to brief lawmakers on their plans before the vote.
