Motahhari, Pezeshkian belong in Majlis, not cabinet:Iranian reformist MPs

TEHRAN,July 11(MNA) – The majority of MPs of the Reformist Front are opposed to the appointment of MPs Ali Motahhari and Masoud Pezeshkian to ministerial posts in the government of Hassan Rohani, according to Reformist Front secretary Majid Bahmanzadeh. There is speculation that Motahhari, a leading principlist MP, may be appointed culture and Islamic guidance minister, and Pezeshkian, a reformist MP, may be appointed health minister in Rohani’s government. In an interview with the Mehr News Agency published on Wednesday, Bahmanzadeh said appointing Motahhari and Pezeskhian to ministerial posts would be an “improper act” because they represent “moderation and insightfulness” in the parliament and have a determining role in realizing the rights of the people and the educated class. The possibility of the parliament being deprived of these two leading MPs cannot be ignored, he added. Pezeshkian, an MP representing the city of Tabriz, served as health minister in Mohammad Khatami’s administration.