The Cabinet of Ahmadinejad Has Changed, but not His Policies
The Cabinet of Ahmadinejad Has Changed, but not His Policies
Bayram Sinkaya, ORSAM Middle East Advisor
The new cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Iran has finally been formed, after the contested June 12 Elections. Eighteen of the twenty-one candidates that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed for the cabinet managed to receive a vote of confidence on Thursday September 3, following heated arguments in the Iranian Majlis (legislature). [1]
Ahmadinejad’s second cabinet differs from the first in important ways. The most important of these differences is the fact that the members of the previous cabinet have nearly all been replaced. Only six of the ministers from Ahmadinejad’s first cabinet remain in the new one. In the new cabinet, Manoucheher Mottaki was selected to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Mehrabian as the Minister of Industry and Mines, Mohammad Abbasi as the Minister of Cooperatives, and Ahmed Hurrem as the Minister of Roads and Transportation, while Masoud Mirkazemi, the Minister of Trade in the previous cabinet, was selected to be the Minister of Oil and Mohammad Najjar, the Minister of Defense in the previous cabinet, was appointed to the new Ministry of the Interior. Thus, Ahmadinejad replaced all of the administrators of the economy, and sacked the majority of the former ministers with whom he had been in disagreements. [2]
The biggest change in the new cabinet is that it is the first time since the Revolution that women have been given posts as ministers in the new cabinet. However, only one of the three female candidates that Ahmadinejad nominated, Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi, the new Minister of Health, received enough votes in the Majlis to be approved. The other two female nominees, Fatemeh Ajarlou and Sousan Keshavarz, nominated by Ahmadinejad to be the new Minister of Welfare and Social Security and the new Minister of Education, respectively, did not receive the vote of confidence as they were not thought to be eligible for the posts. [3]
Such major chages in the new cabinet left Ahmadinejad in a difficult position during the process of ratifying his nominees. Ahmadinejad was accused of appointing inexperienced but loyal people to the cabinet, and he was criticized for not preparing a comprehensive government program and not consulting the deputies when he was selecting ministers for the cabinet. For these reasons, the quality of the candidates for the ministries was discussed at length before the vote of confidence was held, because most of the nominees were thought to be inexperienced. Thus, Mohammad Aliabadi, nominated to be the new Minister of Energy, along with Ajarlou and Keshavarz, were rejected by the Majlis since they were thought not to lack the experience and the knowledge required of them. The former Minister of Trade and the current Minister of Oil, Mirkazemi was criticized for not knowing enough about oil (vital to the national economy), and as a result, his candidacy was most vigorously opposed.
The most “popular” member of the new cabinet is the new Minister of Defense, who won the highest number of votes (227) from the Majlis. A senior general in the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi is the founder of the famous Jerusalem Forces, included by the US on its list of terrorist organizations, and he has been the commander of the Jerusalem Forces for a long time. While commander of the Jerusalem Forces, he was one of the people held responsible for the more than 80 deaths caused by the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Culture Center in Argentina, and is therefore wanted by Interpol. Despite the reaction of the international community, no speeches were delivered in opposition to Vahidi’s candidacy, and only anti-Israel slogans were pronounced.
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, the Minister of Interior, is the second cabinet member from the military. Naccar, one of the commanders of Revolutionary Guards, was Minister of Defense in the previous cabinet. Following the appointment of Naccar as the Minister of Interior, the Revolutionary Guards are thought to have greater influence on provinces and provincial institutions. The new Minister of Intelligence, Huccetulislam Heydar Moslehi, is also affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. He was the former representative of the Religious Leader in the Revolutionary Guards and Besic.
One of the most eye-catching members of the new parliament is the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Kamran Daneshjou. Formerly Deputy Minister of Political Affairs, Daneshjou was the Head of the Election Council for the June 12 elections. The appointment of Daneshjou, seen by the Reformists as “the architect of the election coup,” has attracted lots of attention.
There are important security, foreign policy problems and financial issues on the agenda of the cabinet, which will hold its first meeting on Sunday in Meshed. Instead of forming a cabinet that would include other political groups as an attempt to bring peace and unity to the country, Ahmadinejad decided to create a radical cabinet that is loyal to himself and relies on the state security apparatus. As a matter of fact, along with the Revolutionary Guards in the cabinet, six more ministers are thought to be in contact with the Revolutionary Guards and Besic. This foreshadows Ahmadinejad’s intention not to compromise on domestic or foreign policy and to pursue radical policies. He is expected, especially, to tighten security measures in a so called attempt to prevent a velvet revolution and marginalize the “reformist” opposition that continue to challenge him. However, as the Majlis debates show, the strongest opposition to Ahmadinejad will come from the conservatives, because politics in Iran is now dominated by the conservatives and the radicals. Although it is expected that the new Ahmadinejad government will initiate diplomatic meetings regarding the nuclear weapon issue in order to restore Iran’s image in the international arena, it does not seem likely that there will be major changes in Iran’s approach to this issue and other problems in the region, such as the Israel-Palestine problem. As a result, Ahmadinejad has almost completely replaced his cabinet, but has not defined new policies since there is no “new” element either in Ahmadinejad’s speeches or the statements of his ministers.
Moreover, although the selection of women by Ahmadinejad as ministers for the first time is a “nominal” reform and the women candidates have no reputation regarding the protection of women rights – for example, Vahid Dastjerdi opposed to the Agreement on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Women in Iran – this step is, nevertheless, important in breaking the taboos. The importance of this reform will be better understood if we remember Muhammed Hatemi’s promise for such a reform but giving no seats to women in his own cabinet.
[1] In Iran, a separate vote of confidence is held for each minister and the nominee needs to win at least half of the votes to be confirmed. In place of candidates who fail to be confirmed, the president chooses three new candidates to be selected.
[2] Some ministers, including the Minister of Intelligence, Mohsen Ejei, and the Minister of Islamic Guidance and Culture, Saffar Harandi, were critical of the appointment of Esfendiyar Rahim Meshai, who is the father-in-law of Ahmedinejad’s child, as the First Deputy of the President. After this, Ahmedinejad deposed Eje and did not give the other ministers any ministries in the new cabinet. However, Ahmedinejad had to backdown because the Islamic Leader Ali Khamanei also opposed the appointmentment of Rahim Meshai.
[3] It is said that Keshavarz took part in Moussawi’s election campaign and was therefore rejected.
http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/showArticle.aspx?ID=143
Bayram Sinkaya, ORSAM Middle East Advisor
The new cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Iran has finally been formed, after the contested June 12 Elections. Eighteen of the twenty-one candidates that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed for the cabinet managed to receive a vote of confidence on Thursday September 3, following heated arguments in the Iranian Majlis (legislature). [1]
Ahmadinejad’s second cabinet differs from the first in important ways. The most important of these differences is the fact that the members of the previous cabinet have nearly all been replaced. Only six of the ministers from Ahmadinejad’s first cabinet remain in the new one. In the new cabinet, Manoucheher Mottaki was selected to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Mehrabian as the Minister of Industry and Mines, Mohammad Abbasi as the Minister of Cooperatives, and Ahmed Hurrem as the Minister of Roads and Transportation, while Masoud Mirkazemi, the Minister of Trade in the previous cabinet, was selected to be the Minister of Oil and Mohammad Najjar, the Minister of Defense in the previous cabinet, was appointed to the new Ministry of the Interior. Thus, Ahmadinejad replaced all of the administrators of the economy, and sacked the majority of the former ministers with whom he had been in disagreements. [2]
The biggest change in the new cabinet is that it is the first time since the Revolution that women have been given posts as ministers in the new cabinet. However, only one of the three female candidates that Ahmadinejad nominated, Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi, the new Minister of Health, received enough votes in the Majlis to be approved. The other two female nominees, Fatemeh Ajarlou and Sousan Keshavarz, nominated by Ahmadinejad to be the new Minister of Welfare and Social Security and the new Minister of Education, respectively, did not receive the vote of confidence as they were not thought to be eligible for the posts. [3]
Such major chages in the new cabinet left Ahmadinejad in a difficult position during the process of ratifying his nominees. Ahmadinejad was accused of appointing inexperienced but loyal people to the cabinet, and he was criticized for not preparing a comprehensive government program and not consulting the deputies when he was selecting ministers for the cabinet. For these reasons, the quality of the candidates for the ministries was discussed at length before the vote of confidence was held, because most of the nominees were thought to be inexperienced. Thus, Mohammad Aliabadi, nominated to be the new Minister of Energy, along with Ajarlou and Keshavarz, were rejected by the Majlis since they were thought not to lack the experience and the knowledge required of them. The former Minister of Trade and the current Minister of Oil, Mirkazemi was criticized for not knowing enough about oil (vital to the national economy), and as a result, his candidacy was most vigorously opposed.
The most “popular” member of the new cabinet is the new Minister of Defense, who won the highest number of votes (227) from the Majlis. A senior general in the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi is the founder of the famous Jerusalem Forces, included by the US on its list of terrorist organizations, and he has been the commander of the Jerusalem Forces for a long time. While commander of the Jerusalem Forces, he was one of the people held responsible for the more than 80 deaths caused by the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Culture Center in Argentina, and is therefore wanted by Interpol. Despite the reaction of the international community, no speeches were delivered in opposition to Vahidi’s candidacy, and only anti-Israel slogans were pronounced.
Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, the Minister of Interior, is the second cabinet member from the military. Naccar, one of the commanders of Revolutionary Guards, was Minister of Defense in the previous cabinet. Following the appointment of Naccar as the Minister of Interior, the Revolutionary Guards are thought to have greater influence on provinces and provincial institutions. The new Minister of Intelligence, Huccetulislam Heydar Moslehi, is also affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. He was the former representative of the Religious Leader in the Revolutionary Guards and Besic.
One of the most eye-catching members of the new parliament is the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Kamran Daneshjou. Formerly Deputy Minister of Political Affairs, Daneshjou was the Head of the Election Council for the June 12 elections. The appointment of Daneshjou, seen by the Reformists as “the architect of the election coup,” has attracted lots of attention.
There are important security, foreign policy problems and financial issues on the agenda of the cabinet, which will hold its first meeting on Sunday in Meshed. Instead of forming a cabinet that would include other political groups as an attempt to bring peace and unity to the country, Ahmadinejad decided to create a radical cabinet that is loyal to himself and relies on the state security apparatus. As a matter of fact, along with the Revolutionary Guards in the cabinet, six more ministers are thought to be in contact with the Revolutionary Guards and Besic. This foreshadows Ahmadinejad’s intention not to compromise on domestic or foreign policy and to pursue radical policies. He is expected, especially, to tighten security measures in a so called attempt to prevent a velvet revolution and marginalize the “reformist” opposition that continue to challenge him. However, as the Majlis debates show, the strongest opposition to Ahmadinejad will come from the conservatives, because politics in Iran is now dominated by the conservatives and the radicals. Although it is expected that the new Ahmadinejad government will initiate diplomatic meetings regarding the nuclear weapon issue in order to restore Iran’s image in the international arena, it does not seem likely that there will be major changes in Iran’s approach to this issue and other problems in the region, such as the Israel-Palestine problem. As a result, Ahmadinejad has almost completely replaced his cabinet, but has not defined new policies since there is no “new” element either in Ahmadinejad’s speeches or the statements of his ministers.
Moreover, although the selection of women by Ahmadinejad as ministers for the first time is a “nominal” reform and the women candidates have no reputation regarding the protection of women rights – for example, Vahid Dastjerdi opposed to the Agreement on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Women in Iran – this step is, nevertheless, important in breaking the taboos. The importance of this reform will be better understood if we remember Muhammed Hatemi’s promise for such a reform but giving no seats to women in his own cabinet.
[1] In Iran, a separate vote of confidence is held for each minister and the nominee needs to win at least half of the votes to be confirmed. In place of candidates who fail to be confirmed, the president chooses three new candidates to be selected.
[2] Some ministers, including the Minister of Intelligence, Mohsen Ejei, and the Minister of Islamic Guidance and Culture, Saffar Harandi, were critical of the appointment of Esfendiyar Rahim Meshai, who is the father-in-law of Ahmedinejad’s child, as the First Deputy of the President. After this, Ahmedinejad deposed Eje and did not give the other ministers any ministries in the new cabinet. However, Ahmedinejad had to backdown because the Islamic Leader Ali Khamanei also opposed the appointmentment of Rahim Meshai.
[3] It is said that Keshavarz took part in Moussawi’s election campaign and was therefore rejected.
http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/showArticle.aspx?ID=143