Large numbers of Iranian lawmakers urge Ahmadinejad to end boycott of major government council
Large numbers of Iranian lawmakers urge Ahmadinejad to end boycott of major government council.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad known for his ubiquitous media presence caused some shakeup when he did not attend a meeting due to a widening rift with Iran’s supreme ruler. (File Photo)
Iranian lawmakers urged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to end an eight-day boycott of a major government council, after reports suggesting a widening rift between the president and the supreme ruler of country, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Agence-France Press quoted the Shargh daily paper as reporting.
The lawmakers called for Mr. Ahmadinejad to accept the supreme ruler’s decision to reinstate the intelligence minister.
According the paper, more than 216 conservatives out of the parliament’s 290 MPs wrote a letter to Mr. Ahmadinejad after an “extraordinary” meeting Thursday, lobbying for the president to accept the reinstatement of Heydar Moselhi, the report said quoting Tehran MP Reza Akrami.
“You are expected to adhere to the supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and put an end to that which our enemies are taking advantage of,” the lawmakers wrote.
The all-powerful Khamenei reinstated Mr. Moselhi despite President Ahmadinejad having reportedly forced his resignation, only minutes after it was made public on April 17.
On Tuesday Mr. Moselhi attended the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, the body that regulates educational and cultural issues, and which Mr. Ahmadinejad chairs.
Mr. Ahmadinejad’s absence from the meeting is viewed as an anomaly as he is known for his media omnipresence and fiery speeches.
Observers see the Iranian president as looking forward to controlling the intelligence ministry to influence the next parliament as well as to determine the next president, while Ayatollah Khamenei is seen striving to create a new political team, free of loyalists of the current president.
Ayatollah Khamenei warned on Saturday to refrain from actions that could give the enemies of Iran any excuse to “create a tumult” in the country.
(Dina Al-Shibeeb of Al Arabiya can be reached at: dina.ibrahim@mbc.net)
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