Iran MPs to vote on rest of Ahmadinejad cabinet

AFP: Iran's parliament will vote Sunday on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominations for the final three posts in his cabinet after rejecting his initial candidates for being unqualified, media reported. TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran's parliament will vote Sunday on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominations for the final three posts in his cabinet after rejecting his initial candidates for being unqualified, media reported.

MP Hamid Reza Hajibabai, former interior minister Sadeq Mahsouli and Ali Zabihi, former head of the Social Security Organisation, are up for the education, welfare and energy portfolios, newspapers said on Saturday.

On September 3, parliament approved 18 members of the cabinet, including the Islamic republic's first woman minister, a doctor who holds the health portfolio.

Lawmaker Zohre Elahiyan, a close ally of Ahmadinejad, said the three latest nominees will be approved, as they "have good record of efficiency and can be successful in their ministries."

Ahmadinejad's June election to a second four-year term triggered the worst crisis in the Islamic republic's 30-year history, with opposition candidates and thousands of supporters claiming the vote was rigged.

During his first term, the president was at odds with parliament more than once over proposed ministers considered to be unsuitable for the job.