Sports Ministry Marathon Ends as MPs Agree on 4th Nominee
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Mahmoud Goudarzi, the 4th person introduced by President Hassan Rouhani to head Iran’s ministry of sports and youth, could finally win a vote of confidence from lawmakers who had quashed the hopes of three other nominees since August 14.
Iranian legislators, in Sunday’s open session of parliament, gave a vote of confidence to President Hassan Rouahni’s fourth consecutive pick to head the so far ministry of sports and youth.
Goudarzi garnered 199 votes in favor, 44 against and 24 abstentions, from a total of 267 votes by the lawmakers.
Also before the start of voting, President Rouhani took the podium for minutes to defend his proposed minister.
Goudarizi is currently dean of the Faculty of Physical Training of Tehran University. President Rouhani’s previously proposed nominees for the post included Masoud Soltanifar, Reza Salehi Amiri, and Seyed Nasrollah Sajjadi.
As the Iranian parliamentarians refused to give a vote of confidence to three other nominees to fill the post over the past weeks, President Rouhani had to look for a fourth pick for the vacant position in the sports and youth ministry, which has been run by a caretaker for more than three months.
Iran’s parliament last Sunday convened an open session to vote on President Rouhani’s nominee for the ministry of sports and youth -- the third person to be introduced for the post.
The parliament did not give its vote of confidence to President Hassan Rouhani's choice for the ministry of sports and youth, Seyed Nasrollah Sajjadi.
The lawmakers voted 124 in favor, 107 against with 22 abstentions, from a total of 253 present in Sunday's open session of parliament.
On October 27, parliament refused to give a vote of confidence to Rouhani’s previous choice for the minister of sports and youth, Reza Salehi Amiri.
Rouhani’s first nominee to head the ministry, Masoud Soltanifar, also failed to get the vote of confidence on August 14.
Of the total of 18 nominees in the president’s proposed list in August, 15 were earlier approved by legislators. However, three others failed to garner enough votes.
