Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09RPODUBAI369
2009-09-03 14:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Iran RPO Dubai
Cable title:  

MAJLIS PASSES 18 OF 21 AHMADINEJAD CABINET PICKS

Tags:  PGOV IR 
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FM RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0518
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0409
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDIR/RPO DUBAI 0519
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RPO DUBAI 000369 

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/3/2019
TAGS: PGOV IR
SUBJECT: MAJLIS PASSES 18 OF 21 AHMADINEJAD CABINET PICKS

DUBAI 00000369 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Alan Eyre, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RPO DUBAI 000369

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/3/2019
TAGS: PGOV IR
SUBJECT: MAJLIS PASSES 18 OF 21 AHMADINEJAD CABINET PICKS

DUBAI 00000369 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Alan Eyre, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) SUMMARY: The Majlis today approved 18 of Ahmadinejad's 21
cabinet nominees, including his controversial choice for Defense
Minister. The two-week run-up to the vote featured much public
grumbling by Conservative Majlis members about both lack of
prior executive branch consultation on the nominees and also
about many nominees' lack of relevant job experience. In the
days prior to the vote there were also press reports both of
widespread bribing of Majlis deputies, and also of pressure from
Supreme Leader Khamenei for the Majlis to approve Ahmadinejad's
cabinet, to preserve the appearance of national unity. Although
one female nominee was approved, making her Islamic Iran's first
female minister, two of the three rejected candidates are women,
and their defeat may reflect conservative and religious
discomfort with women ministers. Proposed Defense Minister
Vahidi, whose nomination became controversial internationally
because of his alleged involvement in a 1994 terrorist incident,
secured the highest number of votes. Although the number of
spurned Cabinet nominees was one fewer than his first term and
fewer than many had anticipated, given that prior to Ahmadinejad
almost all Presidential cabinet nominees were approved without
exception, this vote and the process leading up to it bespeaks
nothing so much as a politicized and fractious atmosphere within
the ruling conservative elite. END SUMMARY.




2. (C) The Majlis today confirmed 18 of Ahmadinejad's 21
proposed ministers, including the controversial pick for Defense
Minister, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi (NOTE: Vahidi's
nomination prompted an international outcry due to his alleged
participation in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center
in Argentina.) Perhaps most surprising was the confirmation of
Ahaminejad's Oil Ministry nominee Seyyed Masud Mirkazemi.
Mirkazemi was the Commerce Minister in Ahmadinejad's first term
but several Majlis members had excoriated Mirkazemi's nomination
to this key position due to his total lack of petroleum sector
experience. Given Ahmadinejad's difficulty getting his Oil
Ministry pick confirmed in 2005, when the Majlis rejected three

nominees in a row, many analysts expected the Majlis to reject
Mirkazemi's nomination.




3. (C) Proposed Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was also
confirmed with 175 out of 286 total votes, making her the first
post-Revolutionary female cabinet minister. Her approval is not
entirely unexpected, given that she also has been active in
health issues for many years, has worked in the Health Ministry,
and served in the Majlis from 1992-2000. The rejection of the
two other female cabinet picks (for the Education and Welfare
Ministries) could indicate lack of conservative and religious
comfort with the idea of female ministers or could instead be
indications of continued sparring over these two ministries,
each of which control vast and potentially lucrative
bureaucracies.




4. (C) The proposed Energy Minister Mohammad Aliabadi was the
other nominee (and the only man) to have been rejected. Aliabadi
was Ahmadinejad's Vice President for Physical Education and
headed Iran's national Olympic committee. He was criticized for
lacking any experience in the energy field, although given the
overall lack of qualifications of many of the candidates, it is
unlikely that this was the sole cause of his defeat. He had the
most contentious hearing process, with corruption allegations
featuring prominently in them.




5. (C) The final vote comes on the heels of speculation about
the propriety of the confirmation process. There had been
rumors and press stories in recent days alleging Majlis deputies
were bribed to gain their support, and reports of lavish Iftars
feting the Majlis members to curry favor. These rumors did not
slow the vote and do not appear to have derailed any of the
nominees. Other press reports indicate Supreme Leader Khamenei
exerted pressure on the Majlis to approve Ahmadinejad's nominees
to prevent the appearance of disunity within the government
during this politically sensitive time. Khamenei does typically
pre-approve several of the key Ministerial nominees
(Intelligence Minister, Interior Minister, Foreign Affairs
Minister, and Islamic Culture and Guidance Minister) and as such
their confirmation was not surprising.



DUBAI 00000369 002.2 OF 002




6. (C) COMMENT: This confirmation process and the exact number
approved in and of itself will have little long-term effect on
Ahmadinejad's second term. Many of his supporters (and some
Western press) are interpreting this vote as a `victory,' as the
outcome could have been worse. Prior to the vote, senior Majlis
members predicted that "at least four or five nominees would be
rejected" and several expressed their frustration with
Ahmadinejad's failure to consult with parliamentarians before
making his selection. However one IRPO contact who has served
in the Majlis notes that such public comments by Majlis members
are unimportant, as last-minute deals and horse-trading
immediately before the vote tend to be determinative. Only two
candidates-two of the three women nominated-received more `nay'
votes than `yea' votes. This time, the number of spurned
Cabinet nominees was one fewer than four years ago when the
Majlis rejected Ahmadinejad's picks for the Ministries of Oil,
Education, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare. However, given that
prior to Ahmadinejad almost all Presidential cabinet nominees
were approved without exception, this vote and the process
leading up to it bespeaks nothing so much as the politicized and
fractious atmosphere within the ruling conservative elite that
Ahmadinejad's Presidency has created. END SUMMARY.
EYRE