Parliament Ousts Labor Minister

Date: 08 August 2018 - 21:53

News ID: ۵۶۰۹۵

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday voted to sack President Labor Minister Ali Rabiei after months of mounting anger over the government's handling of the economy.
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said 129 out of 243 lawmakers present voted to oust Rabiei. Critics accused him of mismanagement and blamed him for the country's recent economic problems.
His allies said he is not responsible for the crisis, and were able to fend off an earlier attempt to impeach him in March.
Lawmakers plan to question Rouhani in the coming weeks about the government's response to the economic problems, which have seen the rial plummet to a record low against the dollar and sent unemployment to 12.5 percent.
In late July, President Rouhani’s cabinet appointed a new governor for the central bank.
The government also unveiled a new package to regulate the forex market which has seen choppy trading since May when U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.