The president’s declaration that the Majlis had acted “illegally” further irritated the multitude of Majlis deputies who have long been incensed by the president’s conduct.
The Majlis has the right to call a vote of confidence and to dump any cabinet minister who does not get a majority in such a vote of confidence. The requirement is that 10 deputies file a call for a vote, which can be taken only 10 days after those deputies file their motion.
Ahmadi-nejad said the motion for a vote was filed five times and that the names on the motion changed each time. Therefore, he said, the vote could legally be taken only 10 days after the last motion with the last batch of signatures was filed. Instead, the Majlis scheduled the vote 10 days after the first motion with the first batch of signatures was filed.
The vote margin, however, was quite substantial, with 63 percent of the members in attendance voting to dump Behbahani, whom Ahmadi-nejad called “the best member” of the cabinet.
Ahmadi-nejad said he had decided not to fight the Majlis action because some ministries would soon be merged and five, including the Transportation Ministry, would disappear.
Under the proposed five-year plan, the number of ministries is to be cut from 21 to 17. However, since that legislation went to the Majlis, the Majlis a few weeks ago created a 22nd ministry over the objection of Ahmadi-nejad. The Majlis took the agencies for sports and for youth, then combined them into a new Ministry of Youth and Sports.
If the five-year plan is approved as drafted with the limit of 17 ministries proposed by Ahmadi-nejad, five ministries will have to go.
Officials in the president’s office have said they will merge the Transport Ministry with the Housing Ministry, the Oil Ministry with the Energy Ministry (which mainly handles electricity production and distribution), and the Commerce Ministry with the Ministry of Mines and Industry. The remaining two mergers haven’t yet been decided upon, they said.