Iranian President Mahmoud Ah-madinejad will face a tough battle to win Parliament's approval for his new Cabinet after lawmakers signalled they were likely to reject several proposed ministers.
"Those nominated by the president for government posts must have sufficient expertise and experience, otherwise a great deal of the country's energy would be wasted," state broadcaster IRIB quoted parliament speaker Ali Larijani as saying yesterday.
Vice speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a pragmatic conservative who has been critical of the hardline President in the past, suggested up to five members of Mr Ahmadinejad's 21-strong Cabinet risked being voted down by parliament. He did not give names.
The outcome will be a test of how secure Mr Ahmadinejad's grip is on power in the major oil exporter after his disputed re-election in June led to the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and exposed divisions within the ruling elite. At least 26 people were killed in street protests.
The nominated ministers include Commerce Minister Massoud Mirkazemi as the new oil minister, a key position as crude sales account for most state revenue. Mr Mirkazemi is seen as an Ahmadinejad ally but has little known oil industry experience. The President failed to get his first three choices for oil minister appointed in 2005 because of parliament opposition.
Several nominees - Mr Mirka-zemi and the intelligence and interior ministers - have a background with the elite Revolutionary Guards, as does Mr Ahmadinejad. Seen as fiercely loyal to the Islamic Republic's values, the force's influence appears to have grown since he came to power four years ago.
London-based analyst Gala Riani, of IHS Global Insight, said Mr Ahmadinejad had put forward a cabinet that "largely consists of loyalists with a security background" and that his legitimacy would be damaged if some of them were refused by Parliament.
The legislature is dominated by conservatives, but some of Mr Ahmadinejad's supporters have abandoned him after the election, even though he enjoys the backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority. Moderates see Mr Ahmadinejad's government as illegitimate.
Lawmakers had urged him not to nominate inexperienced ministers. The president had previously announced he would make major changes from his first-term cabinet and state Press TV said the new line-up included 11 "new faces".
If a nominee is rejected, Mr Ahmadinejad must put forward another candidate. The Kayhan newspaper quoted a parliamentary spokesman as saying voting would start on August 30.
Conservative MP Javad Karimi Qodousi, predicted 80 per cent of the ministers would be approved, Fars News Agency said.
Among the candidates, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki would retain his job and three women would become ministers for health, social welfare and education. It would be the first time for a woman to become a minister in the Islamic Republic.
Analysts expect Parliament to eventually approve a Cabinet, but a stormy process could deal a political blow to Mr Ahmadinejad.
The new oil minister faces the challenge of boosting oil and gas output under US and UN sanctions, imposed because of a dispute over Iran's nuclear programme. The West suspects Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its programme is for peaceful power generation.
Mr Ahmadinejad was re-elected for a second four-year term in the June 12 vote. Reformist candidates say the poll was rigged.