Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The Iranian parliament appears to be dissatisfied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's domestic policy as MPs who had signed the petition to question the president said they were not convinced by the answers provided by officials.

On Tuesday, parliament members decided to summon Ahmadinejad to the Majlis to answer questions about what some believe is disarray in the foreign currency market and the import of wheat and cars, Mehr News reported.

The petition was signed by a total of 102 MPs but according to some reports some of the MPs have withdrawn their signatures.

MP Mohammad Damadi said in a meeting of the Majlis Budget and Planning Committee on Tuesday that the MPs who had signed the petition said they were not convinced by the answers provided by ministers and other cabinet members.

He also said MPs who signed the petition are still adamant about the decision and the number of signatures has not fallen short of the threshold.

MP Gholamreza Kateb, the rapporteur of the Budget and Planning Committee, said the petition to question the president was handed over to the Majlis Presiding Board on Tuesday.

As soon as a motion is submitted to the Presiding Board, it is impossible to add or withdraw signatures, he said.

However, MP Abdolreza Mesri, the spokesman for the Board, said the MPs can withdraw their signatures before the questions for the president are read out at the open session of the parliament on Wednesday.

After the questions are read out, the president has one month to appear in parliament to answer them.

At the same time, Iran has introduced some changes to the rules on electing the country's president, Fars news agency reported.

The parliament council and interior deals commission's head Hamid Hojasti said that the commission has approved the changes made to the law on presidential elections in Iran.

The next presidential election in Iran will take place on June 14, 2013 when voters will elect their seventh president.

According to the amendments, an election candidate must be aged between 45 and 75, and have either a master's degree or its equivalent from a seminary of a traditional Islamic higher educational institution.

In order to join the election race, 25 experts must first confirm that the candidate is a religious person, and he is also to be approved by 100 parliament members.

The changes to relevant clauses of the law on presidential elections were approved after about 100 hours of discussion. The changes will be finalized by the parliament during its next session.