Hassan Rohani, Iran’s president-elect, said in a meeting with MPs that Parliament has been disrespected in recent years, and the legislative body must be given back its “dignity and command.”
ISNA quoted Rohani saying: “Parliament’s legislation, its supervision, criticism, questioning and even, if necessary, an impeachment commenced by Parliament will be valued by my administration.”
He emphasized the position of the legislative body in the constitution, saying the executive branch cannot interfere in the responsibilities of Parliament.
The statements appear to be a comment on the continued disputes between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration and Parliament over the executive body’s refusal to enact certain legislation and the accuracy of its statistics.
Rohani said: “This administration will not seek confrontation with Parliament and neither will it deceive the legislative body with inaccurate statistics.”
Rohani added that since the Iran-Iraq War, this is the first time that the country’s economy has contracted, and Iran is facing the highest inflation in the region and perhaps in the world.
The president-elect warned of the rising rate of inflation and unemployment, adding that collaboration between Parliament and the administration is key to resolving the problems facing the country.
