Iran’s Zanganeh nomination opens old wounds

摘要

Iranian president Hassan Rohani’s cabi-net nominations herald the return of the old guard of the country’s political elite, purged by former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But the nomination of veteran Bijan Namdar Zanganeh for the post of oil minister has become embroiled in a dispute between support-ers of Ahmadinejad and Rohani in par-liament that could jeopardise the approval of his appointment. Rohani’s list of cabinet candidates is dotted with political personalities affiliated with the previous administra-tions of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in 1989-1997, and his successor Moham-mad Khatami, in 1997-2005. But the nominations have reopened a political rift that had remained dormant in Ahmadinejad’s last term in office. Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005 after successfully running a popu-list campaign against the accumulation of wealth and influence by political elites, and sought to reduce the influ-ence of what he described as an entrenched economic mafia.