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Pezeshkian, VP defend new ‘cross-party’ cabinet lineup
Pezeshkian submitted the list of his new cabinet members to Parliament on Sunday, less than two weeks after he was sworn in before the country’s legislators.
The proposed list drew criticism from a number of individuals in Iran’s Reformist camp.
During separate meetings on Sunday with representatives from the provinces of Fars, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Kerman, the president said that one of the cabinet’s main features is its cross-partyness, adding that the formation of the cabinet focused on the criteria of capability, expertise, and relevant experience of individuals.
On Sunday, the president presented his cabinet’s lineup in a letter to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, with the legislative body officially commencing the process of reviewing the proposed ministers’ qualifications.
Pezeshkian urged all members of Parliament and national elites to assist the government in appointing managers and officials of executive agencies based on the stated qualities.
In response to the issues raised by the representatives, the president emphasized that the new government will allocate the country’s resources with care and precision, considering priorities and areas of deprivation in pursuit of justice and rights. He added that addressing the provinces and deprived regions is a fundamental principle of this government.
He regarded national consensus and setting aside differences as the key to advancing matters and achieving success in the country, stressing that in the new administration, the core of actions will be laws, documents, and national macro-policies. Pezeshkian also said that any identified shortcomings in these documents and policies would be addressed.
Meanwhile, the first vice-president said on Monday that the strategy for selecting managers and ministers in the new government does not focus on political ideology.
“Instead, the new administration’s leaders must strive to fulfill the ideals and values of the holy establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the demands of the people and the promises made by the president, with the foremost priority being the resolution of the people’s economic and living challenges,” he added.
Iran’s former foreign minister Javad Zarif announced on Monday that he had resigned from his new post as a presidential aide in strategic affairs.
He cited several reasons for his resignation, most notably his disappointment with the lineup in the newly-proposed 19-member cabinet, however, he supported the new president, saying that, “My message... is not a sign of regret or disappointment with dear Dr. Pezeshkian or opposition to realism; rather it means doubting my usefulness as a vice president for strategic affairs.”
Zarif noted that he would return to academia and focus less on Iran’s domestic politics.
He was Iran’s top diplomat between 2013 and 2021 in the Moderate government of former president Hassan Rouhani.