BBC NEWS World Middle East Wonn ‘to join Iranian cabinet' Ittp://newsvote.bbc.co ,uk/npapps/pagetools/print/ n ews.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/nt..
I1flE NEWS
Women ‘to join Iranian cabinet'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will bring at least two women into his new
cabinet - the first such appointments in Iran since the 1970s.
He told Iran TV he would propose Fatemeh Ajorlou as social security minister and Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi
as health minister, among others.
Mr Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August amid a crisis triggered by disputed polls in
June.
Meanwhile another 28 people have gone on trial over post-election unrest.
More than 100 people are already on trial in Iran following the election, among them a number of senior
politicians.
The trials have been criticised by several foreign powers, opposition groups and human rights
campaigners, but authorities insist their legal proceedings are completely legitimate and conform to
international standards of justice.
‘Rightful demands'
The latest trial comes a day after Mr Ahmadinejad's main opponent in the election, Mir Hossein Mousavi,
vowed to continue challenging the result in a social movement called Green Path of Hope.
“The Green Path of Hope is formed for the sake of people's rightful demands and for claiming their
rights,” the reformist Etemad Melli newspaper quoted him as saying.
He has described it as a grassroots movement, but he has not given many more details about how it will
take the opposition campaign forward.
Official election results awarded Mr Ahmadinejad a sweeping victory in the polls. He is expected to
announce his full cabinet line-up on Wednesday.
The women he has named could, if approved, become the first female cabinet ministers since the 1979
Islamic Revolution, although there have been female vice-presidents.
The BBC's Tehran correspondent John Leyne says both are hardline conservatives.
Ms Ajorlou has supported tough enforcement of the Islamic dress code for women, and quotas for women
at university.
Ms Dastjerdi, meanwhile, has in the past proposed introducing segregated health care in Iran, with
women treating women and men men, though it was rejected as impractical.
MPs have to approve the ministers in a confidence vote, and have warned the president that they must be
“experienced”, amid criticisms of his frequent reshuffles and dismissals during his first term.
Foreign media, including the BBC, have been restricted in their coverage of Iran in the wake of the
election protests.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http : 1/news. bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/m idd le_east/820401 2.stm
Published: 2009/08/16 13:01:38 GMT
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