Ahmadinejad submits list of ministers to parliament

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has submitted a list of his new cabinet ministers to the Majlis (Parliament), Iran's English-language satellite channel Press TV reported on Thursday.

The list of 21-member cabinet, submitted late on Wednesday, will be examined by parliament members from Aug. 23, and a confidence vote will be held on Aug. 30, according to the report.

According to the list, Ahmadinejad has kept Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in his post and proposed Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as the new interior minister.

Ahmad Vahidi, who has served as deputy defense minister and also head of the political, defense and security commission of the Expediency Council, is the nominee for defense minister.

Masoud Mir-Kazemi, Iran's commerce minister, was nominated to head the country's Oil Ministry.

The list also includes three women -- Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, Fatemeh Ajorlou and Sousan Keshavarz -- to head the ministries of health, social welfare and education respectively.

Vice Majlis Speaker Mohammad-Reza Bahonar said on Thursday it was likely that several of the ministers would be rejected by the assembly, according to Press TV.

"Some of my colleagues and I ... believe that close to five ministers proposed by Mr. Ahmadinejad will not receive a vote of confidence," Bahonar was quoted as saying, without giving the names of the ministers.

In case some candidates are rejected by the Majlis, the president must introduce new nominees within 15 days.