The Mehr News Agency reports that on Wednesday, the presiding board of Parliament was handed the impeachment motion with 102 signatures. According to parliamentary regulations, a motion to impeach the president needs at least 73 signatures from among the 290 Members of Parliament.
The latest move to question the president was triggered by the recent “turmoil in the market, currency exchange and imports of wheat and automobiles.”
The petition states: “Since last March to now, exchange rates for foreign currencies have been undergoing severe fluctuations leading to the steep devaluation of the national currency” and the petition blames the government for its refusal to provide adequate amount of foreign currencies for the market. The statement also claims that the fluctuations have led to a rapid rise in inflation, which is impeding all economic programs.
Irregularities in the import of wheat and automobiles have also been cited in the statement as issues requiring explanation by the president.
This would be the second time Ahmadinejad has been summoned to Parliament. He was questioned by Parliament last March around another set of issues. The Ahmadinejad administration has been severely criticized by Parliament, and the two government bodies have been in repeated disputes over the past three years.
