Twelve more Iranian MPs have withdrawn their signatures from the motion to question Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Parliament, said Mohammad Hossein Farhangi, a member of the Presiding Board of Parliament.
Farhangi announced to Fars news agency that, as they return from summer vacations, some MPs have decided against summoning the president.
Yesterday, Fars reported that 30 signatures had been withdrawn from the motion; however, hours later, MP Mehrdad Lahouti told the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) that no signatures had been stricken from the motion yet.
He added that all MPs who renege on their support will only reveal their “weakness” and show they are not “firm representatives.” Lahouti maintained that a number of conservative MPs were bent on canceling the motion to question Ahmadinejad because “they feel the general atmosphere of society will be disturbed and it would not benefit the country.”
Two weeks ago, Tehran MP Ali Motahari presented Parliament with a motion signed by 100 MPs, calling for the president to be questioned in Parliament over a series of administrative irregularities and legislative violations.
Some MPs have indicated that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei does not support such a motion; however, Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani has told MPs that the leader believes summoning and questioning the president is the prerogative of Parliament.
