Murmurs of Ahmadinejad’s Impeachment

In a pointed speech on Tuesday, the head of the Majlis Research Center Ahmad Tavakkoli blasted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reminded him that the Majlis can legally remove him through impeachment or a vote of no confidence. Tavakkoli made the remarks in response to Ahmadinejad’s refusal to implement certain Majlis bills and articles of the Constitution, as well as numerous statements that the chief executive had made in which he accused the Majlis of passing bills that violated the Constitution or Islamic law.

In his speech yesterday at the Majlis, Tavakkoli said, “The president has a peculiar interpretation of Article 113 [of the Constitution], which states that the president must execute the Constitution. According to that interpretation, he allows himself to not implement a law if he believes it to be unconstitutional; to not implement a law if he believes it not to be expedient; or even worse, to say in front of people on television that he would not implement a law; or that he would not send administrative orders to the Majlis speaker by changing their names from ‘order’ to ‘recommendations’; or even more blatantly, as happened recently unfortunately, to demand that administrative orders and guidelines not be sent to the Majlis. He also refuses to attend Expediency Council meetings in violation of Article 112 of the Constitution and the supreme leader’s orders. He resists the subjection of his closest allies to the normal legal procedure rules. These behaviors not only weaken the judiciary and law, but also teach others how to disrespect the law.”

Without naming Ahmadinejad, Tavakkoli added, “The Constitution clearly states each branch’s duties and responsibilities. If there is a disagreement over its interpretation, it empowers the Guardian Council to resolve the disagreement. If there is disagreement over the interpretation of other laws, it empowers the Majlis to resolve them. It empowers the president, who is directly elected by the people, to execute the laws. It requires him to sign the Majlis bills in accordance with the relevant procedures and communicate them to officials for implementation.”

Tavakkoli, who is a member of the hardline Principalist faction in the Majlis, then outlined Majlis’s powers with respect to the chief executive: “The Constitution empowers the Majlis to confirm that administrative orders are not opposed to the letter or spirit of laws. It empowers the Majlis to confirm ministers, and holds them and the president accountable to the Majlis (Articles 122 and 137). It holds sufficient the signatures of 10 representative to impeach a minister and the signatures of one-third of lawmakers to impeach the president, whose incompetence can be announced after two-thirds of the lawmakers cast a vote of no confidence, even if these lawmakers represent voters who comprise fewer than half of those who voted for the president.”