Interior Minister Confirmed

Iran's parliament has confirmed a new Interior Minister:

"Iran's parliament narrowly approved President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's choice for interior minister on November 18, after the previous minister was sacked in a vote by lawmakers over a fake university degree.

"Sadeq Mahsouli, a former Revolutionary Guards comrade of the president, takes charge of the ministry responsible for overseeing elections seven months before a presidential poll. Ahmadinejad is expected to run but has yet to declare.

"The November 18 vote in favor of Mahsouli -- 138 of the 273 lawmakers present, only just more than half -- will be a relief to Ahmadinejad, who has faced mounting criticism from parliament particularly over his economic policies and surging inflation."

Does the confirmation of a close Ahmadinejad ally, by however narrow a margin, mean that the turmoil which forced out Ali Kordan has been rendered meaningless? Here's an interesting tidbit:

"Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has said that, based on Iranian law, Ahmadinejad will need a vote of confidence for his whole cabinet if another cabinet post is changed."

The whole affair could also be interpreted as putting the Ahmadinejad administration on notice regarding its organization of the elections.

(Crossposted to American Footprints)