Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad's cabinet selections indicate that Iran's leadership is preparing for domestic challenges and a possible confrontation with the West over Tehran's nuclear program and a variety of other issues. One well-placed political observer in Tehran described the presidential cabinet as a "government of emergency."
Ahmadinejad formally submitted his cabinet choices for parliamentary consideration on August 21. Virtually all of the 21 cabinet nominees were religious conservatives, many of them with backgrounds in the military or state-security apparatus. Ahmadinejad aides touted the selections as "not being faction-driven" and "not beholden to special interests." One described it as "a cabinet of professionals." On August 24, Iran's parliament confirmed 17 of the 21 nominees. The four nominees rejected by parliament would have held relatively minor posts.
When the cabinet nominations were announced, Iranian media outlets generally expressed surprise, with some commentators asserting that many of the nominees were unqualified. Baztab, a conservative-oriented news web site, characterized Ahmadinejad's cabinet selections as "unusual and baffling." Presidential critics pointed out that roughly half of the 21 cabinet nominees had not previously held a high-level governmental post.
A significant number of MPs expressed initial reservations about confirming Ahmadinejad's nominees. But political analysts say that religious hardliners, who now control virtually all of Iran's elected and unelected political institutions, exerted strong behind-the-scenes pressure on legislators to confirm the cabinet. The brewing international crisis over Iran's decision to resume nuclear research over the West's objections increased the pressure on MPs to avert a governmental crisis. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
In assembling the cabinet, Ahmadinejad is said to have cut a political deal with parliament's vice speaker, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, head of the legislative faction of the neo-conservative Abadgaran movement. The deal -- in which Bahonar had significant input in the nominations of key ministerial posts, including Manouchehr Mottaki as foreign minister and Mostafa Pourmohammdi as interior minister stands to reduce tension within the Abadgaran movement, at least over the near-term. In recent weeks, an intra-party rivalry developed pitting Bahonar's followers in parliament against a faction centered on Tehran's City Council. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
According to a retired Revolutionary Guards mid-ranking officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Ahmadinejad's government is "a cabinet of national emergency." That many members of the new cabinet are former top officers within the Revolutionary Guards or the intelligence services ensures that Ahmadinejad's administration will have a distinct national security emphasis. In addition, political analysts believe many political appointees, including those on the gubernatorial and vice-ministerial levels, will be drawn from the ranks of the military and security apparatus.
According to the retired officer, the decision to form a security-oriented cabinet stems from the extraordinary cluster of potential foreign and domestic threats that the present leadership is currently facing. Foremost among the looming threats, in the view of religious conservatives, is a potentially long-tem struggle with the United States and European Union over Iran's effort to develop nuclear capabilities. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Many Iranian leaders expect Ahmadinejad's administration to be defined by how it responds Western efforts to contain Iran's nuclear aspirations.
An August 21 editorial in the hard-line paper Ressalat gave a ringing endorsement for Ahmadinejad's decision to focus on security. "When the country is caught in a
Editor's note:
Kamal Nazer Yasin is a pseudonym for a freelance journalist specializing in Iranian affairs.
