Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) has voted to dismiss Labor and Social Affairs Minister Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, Press TV reports.
“The total number of votes 272. 24 abstained, 56 against, and 192 voted in favor of the minister’s impeachment,” Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said at the parliament session on Sunday.
Before the vote, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended Sheikholeslami, which was followed by a number of lawmakers’ speeches against him.
The main reason behind Sheikholeslami’s impeachment was allegedly his failure to remove Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran’s former prosecutor, from his post as the head of the Social Security Organization.
Later, the dismissed minister was given the chance to defend himself.
Behrouz Nemati, one of the MPs, stated that the parliament had no other choice but to dismiss Sheikholeslami.
“The minister failed to implement the parliament’s ratification. We had several meetings with him trying to convince him to dismiss Mr. Mortazavi, but he refused to do so, leaving us with no other option but to dismiss him,” Nemati noted.
Mortazavi was suspended after accusations that he was linked to the deaths of some prisoners at Kahrizak detention center near the capital Tehran, following the post-presidential elections unrest in 2009.
NT/HN
