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Honeymoon over for Iran's reform-minded president
Opponents gear up 10 days after he takes office
August 14, 1997
Web posted at: 6:41 p.m. EDT (2241 GMT)TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- The political honeymoon for Iran's reform-minded president Mohammad Khatami is over, just 10 days after he was sworn in to office.
The 54-year-old Khatami, a moderate Shiite Moslem cleric, learned Thursday that conservative opponents in the parliament will oppose some of the 22 candidates he has chosen for his Cabinet.
Conservatives and hard-liners, who have refrained from criticizing Khatami publicly since his election in May, have launched harsh attacks on his choices for ministers of culture, interior, intelligence and foreign affairs in anticipation of a parliamentary debate next Tuesday.
"It is now certain that a noteworthy number of these nominees will not be able to get the parliament's vote of confidence," the Tehran Times newspaper said on Thursday.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports from Tehran, Iran.
But in at least one case, Khatami has found a way to out-maneuver his opponents. He is expected to name as one of his vice presidents Massoumeh Ebtekar, a woman educated in the United States and the first woman named to the Cabinet since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Unlike other Cabinet ministers, who must be approved by the Majlis, or parliament, vice presidents are appointed directly by the president.
Artists, writers support Mohajerani
The majority of the 270-member Majlis is expected to approve most of Khatami's 22-member cabinet, but reject candidates such as Ayatollah Mohajerani, the proposed culture minister.
Mohajerani, a former vice president, has been criticized for advocating greater cultural freedoms and for recommending direct talks with the United States.
"Introducing a person like Mohajerani, who seeks relations with America, is an insult to the Majlis," deputy Mehdi-Reza Darvishzadeh told Resalat newspaper on Thursday.
But Ettelaat, another newspaper, reported that Mohajerani has the backing of a group of writers and artists who sent a letter to Khatami. The culture ministry plays a key role in domestic life in Iran since it has oversight over media freedom and what books and films can be printed.
The hard-liners are also expected to question the nomination of Abdollah Nouri as interior minister. Nouri is a cleric deputy who leads a pro-Khatami faction in parliament. As interior minister, he would be responsible for implementing what is expected to be a relaxed social policy favored by Khatami.
Another candidate facing opposition is United Nations ambassador Kamal Kharrazi as foreign minister. Kharrazi, who received a doctoral degree in business management in Texas, is believed to be too close to the United States.
In any event, Iran's foreign policy is largely controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khameni, Iran's supreme leader, limiting the role of the president and the foreign minister.
Khatami renews reform promises
Khatami crushed parliament speaker Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri by nearly a 3-to-1 margin in the national elections in May. He received significant support from women, middle classes and young people who were attracted to his promises to bring significant reform to the repressive Iranian lifestyle.
He has spoken of change frequently since, and he alluded to it again Wednesday night during a Tehran television interview.
"I have a pact with the people to fulfill my plans," he said in his first major interview since taking office.
Khatami used the occasion to push for additional freedoms by calling for an independent press and formal political parties. Both were banned after the 1979 revolution.
Khatami said, however, that he would respect parliament decisions when it came to his Cabinet ministers and that he had a list of alternatives ready.
"Naturally, I hope that all those that I have presented -- all of whom I believe to be competent -- will get a vote of confidence from the Majlis," he said.
"If, God forbid," the Majlis does not approve them, he said, "I am resigned and obedient to the law and the views of the Majlis and will try to propose others."
Conservatives want their 'day'
Reaction to Khatami's speech was positive in many quarters.
"He has not given, so far, too much to the right," said political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam. "That was the fear."
But Nateq-Nouri and the conservatives "are still smarting from their election defeat," says another. "They want their day, too."
As if that were not enough to contend with, Khatami must also contend with an ailing economy.
Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Hojatollah Ghanimifard said Thursday that petroleum revenue -- the lifeblood of Iran's economy -- was running behind budget expectations because of weaker international oil prices since March.
Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Moderate Khatami confirmed as Iran's new president - August 3, 1997
- Iran's president-elect: U.S. must soften hard line - May 27, 1997
Related sites:
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- Iran Online Newsroom
- Institute for Political and International Studies - Study of Iranian Foreign Policy
- NetIran
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