Fani reinstated as Iran education minister after impeachment

Iran’s Minister of Education Ali-Asghar Fani has been reinstated after securing a vote of confidence from lawmakers in an impeachment session.

Fani appeared on Iranian Parliament (Majlis) floor on Wednesday to respond to lawmakers’ questions.

The open session was attended by 256 legislators and chaired by the Parliament's First Vice Speaker, Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard.

He obtained a vote of confidence as 167 lawmakers voted in favor of his reinstatement while 76 voted against and 13 abstained.

The impeachment proceeding against Fani was approved with 64 signatures last week.

A number of lawmakers later withdrew their signatures from the impeachment motion, but the MPs decided to go ahead with the procedure as the number of the remaining signatures did not drop below ten, which is the minimum number of votes required for impeachment.

Fani was accused of failing to urge the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to provide schools with necessary resources and to expand educational space in deprived areas.

He also came under fire for failing to adopt practical measures to enrich and promote the efficiency and quality of educational programs.

Under the Iranian Constitution, lawmakers can impeach a minister when they deem it necessary.

The minister must appear on parliament floor within ten days after the submission of the impeachment motion to answer the questions raised by legislators, give explanation on his performance and seek a vote of confidence.