February 07-2014
Mohammad-Ali Najafi (photo), a major Reformist figure, is facing health problems and has asked President Rohani to give him a less demanding post. Rohani first nominated Najafi to be minister of education, but he was one of three nominees rejected by the Majlis, apparently because he was considered too close to the Reformist candidates who lost the 2009 presidential election. Rohani then named Najafi to head the Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). But Najafi said his health was not good enough for that demanding post; Najafi has heart problems. Rohani has now named Najafi chair of a new committee set up to coordinate the work of Iran’s economic bodies, such as the Central Bank and Finance Ministry, to see that economic policies all aim in the same direction and are not contradictory. To succeed Najafi at ICHTO, Rohani has named Masud Soltanifar, who was rejected by the Majlis as sports minister the same day it rejected Najafi as education minister. Soltanifar is currently a member of the Tehran City Council.
