Conservatives designate Larijani as Speaker of upcoming Majlis
Published: Monday, May 26, 2008
01:09 GMT—9:09 PM/EST
MAJLIS-SPEAKER-ELECTIONS
Washington, May 25 (IranVNC)—Iran’s seventh Majlis came to a close yesterday and the country’s eighth Majlis will convene tomorrow.
Two hundred and twenty-seven principle-ist deputies, constituting the majority of the incoming Majlis aligned themselves yesterday to elect Ali Larijani as the Speaker of the eighth Majlis and Mohammad Reza Bahonar as a deputy speaker. The Members of Parliament were unable to reach a consensus on electing a second deputy speaker and postponed the vote to a later date, Iran Daily has reported.
In Sunday’s ballot, Larijani, the deputy from Qom, received seven votes against and 161 votes in favor of his candidacy. Fifty representatives voted in favor of rival conservative candidate and speaker of the last Majlis, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, who said today he would not be standing for reelection as Speaker.
Haddad Adel was the first lay person to serve as the Speaker of the Majlis, and the first person to serve as Speaker for only one term.
Larijani competed against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the 2005 presidential elections. Upon taking office as president, Ahmadinejad appointed Larijani as the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council [SNSC] and as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator. But Larijani resigned from his posts in October 2007 and was subsequently appointed as the Supreme Leader’s representative to the SNSC.
Some reports indicate Larijani’s win against Haddad Adel is a blow to Ahmadinejad, saying Larijani’s position as Speaker of the Majlis will make him a formidable opponent of Ahmadinejad in the next presidential elections in 2009.
But media outlets supportive of Ahmadinejad, including Iran Daily and Rajanews, have welcomed the news that Larijani will be appointed as Majlis Speaker, suggesting he will not run in the next presidential elections.
The votes on Sunday suggest that Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the Deputy Majlis Speaker of the last Majlis, will be elected to serve in the upcoming session of the Majlis as well. The Principle-ists gave him 112 votes. Two other candidates competing for the position of Second Deputy Speaker failed to garner enough votes to win. Mohammad Hossein Abutorrabi Fard garnered only 76 votes and Seyyed Shahabboddin Sadr garnered 69 votes.
On Tuesday the Majlis will temporarily assign its eldest member as the ceremonial Speaker and will confirm the credentials of the representatives. It will also formally elect the speaker and deputy speakers.
One-hundred and eighty members of the upcoming Majlis are newly elected deputies to the legislative body.
Sources: IRNA, Iran Daily website
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved
(Original article written in Persian.)