Calling Minister's Impeachment Illegal, President Keeps Him on 3 More Months

Ahmadinejad Says Impeachment 'Illegal'

Radio Zamaneh | Feb 5

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says it was "illegal" for parliament to impeach his minister of transportation, Hamid Behbahani, and he will soon reveal the details to the people.

"Usually during Fajr celebrations [the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution] even government critics refrain from criticism and thank those who are at the service of the people day and night," Iranian media quotes Ahmadinejad as saying. "But this year the MPs gave us a present on the first day of the celebrations by taking away the best minister of our cabinet."

The criticisms brought against the transport minister are more applicable to the impeachers, said Ahmedinejad. He added that the ministry of transportation will be merged with a different ministry, so he will not appoint a new minister.

One day before the impeachment, Ahmadinejad's representative in parliament had presented a letter to the speaker, Ali Larijani, maintaining that 13 MPs had withdrawn their names from the impeachment order, rendering it invalid. Regardless, Larijani proceeded with the impeachment.

'Behbahani's Impeachment Illegal'

Press TV | Feb 5

President Ahmadinejad [...] argu[ed] that under the Constitution the minister had to be given another ten days to appear in Majlis to answer should the names of the lawmakers calling for the impeachment change, IRNA reported.

The Iranian president pointed out that the Constitution gives ministers the right to use the 10-day period before appearing in Majlis and no ministers could be deprived of the right.

He said that the names of those lawmakers calling for Behbahani's impeachment changed until the very last day and thus the minister had to be given another ten days as of the very day that the names changed.

President Calls Impeachment of Transport Minister Illegal

Tehran Times | Feb 6

[Ahmadinejad said that] according to the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan, the number of the ministries must be reduced from 21 to 17, so a number of ministries, including the Transport Ministry, must be merged, otherwise "I had intended to seriously pursue the matter."

The impeachment followed the crash of an Iran Air Boeing 727 which occurred near Urmia, the capital city of West Azarbaijan province, on January 9 in which 78 passengers were killed and 33 were injured.

Long flight delays, repetition of air crashes, mismanagement of the Transport Ministry, poor situation of road transport, and long delays in the implementation of road construction projects were cited as the reasons for the impeachment of the minister.

Ahmadinejad Chides Parliament for Sacking Minister

Reuters | Feb 5

Analysts said the [impeachment] was meant as a warning shot from a parliament which feels Ahmadinejad has repeatedly ignored its constitutional rights.

The president did not attend the impeachment hearing, the first since his re-election in June 2009. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani, one of Ahmadinejad's most prominent rivals, called that snub a violation of the law.

Dismissing parliament's concerns, Ahmadinejad reappointed Behbahani to be caretaker minister -- something he can do for a three-month period -- and said he would speak out to expose the assembly's behavior.

"If the issues underlying the impeachment should apply to the minister, they would apply to the impeachers more by 100- fold," Ahmadinejad said, calling Behbahani "the best minister of the government."

See also: "Iranian Parliament Impeaches Minister of Transportation" (Tehran Bureau)