Ahmadinejad Set To Be Questioned By Majlis Over Economy Scandal

For the very first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iran's president is set to be questioned by its Majlis parliament after the required one-quarter of lawmakers needed to summon Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the legislative body signed a petition authorizing such a move.

It should be noted, however, that a similar petition was signed by a hundred (out of 290) members of Majlis last year only to see signatories withdraw their backing for the measure after calls for "unity" came from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Most Iran-watchers agree that the Supreme Leader's blessing will be needed to fully progress with impeachment proceedings against the Iranian president.

The inquiry relates to an ongoing economic scandal that has become a cause célèbre inside Iran. It is alleged that a group of high-ranking (but as of yet unnamed) government officials forged letters of credit from two of Iran's largest state banks to purchase various state-owned companies to the tune of $2.6 billion dollars. Ahmadinejad's image, which has long rested on taking a strong populist and anti-corruption stance against regime-insiders, has been considerably harmed by the controversy, and his economic minister, Shamsoddin Hosseini, is the latest victim claimed by the scandal. Mr. Hosseini has already been found guilty on charges stemming from the ongoing imbroglio, and is set to be impeached by Majlis sometime tomorrow.

For Khamenei and his regime-loyalists, the political calculus remains the same: is it costlier to have Ahmadinejad (and his "deviant current" of advisers) ride out the last, lame-duck years of his presidency, but also have to continue dealing with his maverick tendencies and constant power-grabs; or, would it be more costly to rid the regime of the divisions that his presidency brings, but in the process, have to sacrifice the man who Khamenei so adamantly backed throughout the 2009 post-election crisis, and by consequence cast doubt on his earlier judgment. If the Supreme Leader's recent opaque comments about scrapping the presidency (in favor of a Prime Minister) hints at anything, it's that the ruling class has grown tired of the complications that elections -- be they free or fixed -- bring to Iran's otherwise authoritarian system.
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UPDATE: Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini has survived impeachment by a vote of 141-93.