Iran Prez Hold Shaky in Latest Challenge

A Possible No-Confidence Vote by Parliament Could Push Out Ahmadinejad

By LARA SETRAKIAN and MATTHEW GHAZARIAN
July 28, 2009

More than a month after a presidential election that some called a "political earthquake," the ground is still shifting under disputed Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His political moves have angered some conservatives, forcing a crack in the hard-line camp in that could threaten his hold on power. Tensions between conservatives siding with Ahmadinejad and others with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have raised the likelihood of a vote of confidence by Iran's parliament, which could cost Ahmadinejad his job.

This week Ahmadinejad dismissed his Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehei, perceived to be close to Khamenei, after a week of tension with the supreme leader over his choice of vice president. Ahmadinejad had appointed his relative, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, to the post, a move that angered some conservatives and led Khamenei to order the vice president's dismissal. When Ahmadinejad insisted on keeping him in place a letter from 200 parliament members, more than two-thirds of the body called on him to "correct his behavior [and] follow the leader's opinion seriously," according to local press reports.