Iran’s senior MP says Ahmadinejad can’t withdraw subsidy reform plan

TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (MNA) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that he will withdraw his subsidy reform plan, but MP Hossein Sobhaninia said that according to the law, it is too late to withdraw the plan.


If the administration is not given a free hand in this regard, the plan cannot be implemented, Ahmadinejad told reporters in Isfahan.


He went on to say that he has decided to withdraw his subsidy reform plan and submit a new plan in its place.


However, Sobhaninia said that the subsidy reform plan has been ratified by the Majlis and sent to the Guardian Council for final approval, and the administration cannot withdraw the plan.


If Guardian Council members do not approve the plan, it will be returned to the parliament and then the administration’s points can be considered; otherwise, the plan will be passed into law, Sobhaninia, who is a member of the Majlis Presiding Board, told the Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.


Meanwhile, Guardian Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaii said on Wednesday that the GC will examine the plan during special sessions as soon as it receives the plan.


After deliberations on the plan, the GC will promptly inform the parliament about their decision, Kadkhodaii told ISNA.