Iranian MPs say Ahmedinejad broke law in oil ministry takeover

President under shadow of impeachment in latest spat with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is locked in confrontation with MPs after being warned he acted illegally by declaring himself caretaker oil minister in what his critics called an unconstitutional power grab. Iranian media reported that the majlis (parliament), which has repeatedly clashed with the president over key policy issues in recent weeks, voted 165-1 to approve a report by its energy committee, which declared Ahmadinejad’s move an “obvious violation of law”. The vote was triggered by the president’s sacking of the oil minister, Massoud Mirkazemi, which was part of a plan to merge eight ministries into four to cut their overall number to 17. Observers said it was unclear whether there was now a real threat that Ahmadinejad could be impeached. But it was the latest spat in an increasingly ugly struggle between the president and his onetime mentor, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Aides to Khamenei have castigated Ahmadinejad’s controversial chief-of-staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie as representing a “deviant current” moving Iran away from Islamic principles. Accusations of “perversion”, witchcraft and exorcism have been bandied around – as well as more conventional complaints of corruption. The majlis vote was spearheaded by the speaker, Ali Larijani, who was sacked by Ahmadinejad as Iran’s national security chief in 2007 but is seen as a prospective candidate for the presidency in 2013. Ahmadinejad’s original bid to streamline his cabinet was blocked by Khamenei. Ahmadinejad fought back by dismissing three ministers and temporarily taking over the oil ministry, but drew furious criticism from Khamenei’s camp. The move by MPs reflects mounting alarm by Ahmadinejad’s rivals in the country’s conservative ruling elite, including hardline clerics and the elite Revolutionary Guards, especially since it involves the hugely important energy sector – the source of 80% of Iranian state revenue – and because Ahmadinejad is famous for his populist economic policies. Late last month parliament voted to investigate allegations that the president had misused state funds as effective bribes by giving $80 (£48.80) each to 9 million voters before the 2009 presidential election. To complicate matters further, Iran is also the current chairman of Opec, although Ahmadinejad has said he will not attend its summit in Vienna next week. “This illegal and hasty action will undermine the Islamic Republic of Iran’s interests on the international level,” the conservative-dominated parliament said in its report. “Mr Ahmadinejad as oil minister has issued some orders and will continue to issue orders which are obvious examples of illegal interference with governmental financial resources.” Ahmadinejad has the power to remove ministers and put caretakers in place for up to three months before having to consult parliament and insists that no-one should have been surprised by the reshuffle. Iran’s constitutional watchdog, the guardian council, has already called his takeover of the oil ministry illegal. The final say on the ministry lies with Khamenei – whose wholehearted backing for Ahmadinejad since his disputed re-election two years ago can clearly no longer be taken for granted. In recent months, Ahmadinejad has sought to assert the presidential prerogative in hiring and firing ministers. He got his way in December, sacking the foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, a Khamenei favourite, without warning. But tensions exploded in April when Khamenei stopped Ahmadinejad from dismissing the intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, in a public intervention to limit the president’s power. That provoked Ahmadinejad into a bizarre 11-day refusal to appear in public or carry out any duties. The escalating power struggle in Tehran comes less than a year before parliamentary elections – due in March 2012 – in which prominent opposition figures are unlikely to be allowed to run, and rival conservative factions will battle for control of the legislature. Presidential elections are due in 2013. Iran Middle East Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Ian Black guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 1, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.