Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was summoned to parliament on Wednesday for an unprecedented grilling by lawmakers who accused him of economic mismanagement and making "illegal" appointments. Less than two weeks after a drubbing in parliamentary elections, Ahmadinejad became the first president in the Islamic Republic's history to be called before the legislature which has the power to impeach him if unsatisfied with his answers.
Traditionalist factions who express complete loyalty to Iran's most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been trying to summon the president for months over what they say are repeated challenges to the supreme leader's authority. Emboldened by their success over Ahmadinejad supporters at parliamentary elections this month, they finally had the chance to interrogate him about the near-stagnant, high-inflation economy and concerns over his allegiance to Khamenei.
Chairing the meeting, lawmaker Ali Motahari asked why Ahmadinejad had stayed at home for several days last April after Khamenei overturned the president's decision to sack his intelligence minister - an absence seen by some as a protest against the supreme leader's decision.
Belying his weakened standing, Ahmadinejad responded in a confident and, at times, flippant tone that did little to calm the excitement of the hearing, broadcast live on state radio. He denied challenging the supreme leader, saying: "This is one of those things - Ahmadinejad staying home and resting. Some of my friends have repeatedly told me to rest. In this government, work has never been stopped for even a day."
He played down the historic significance of the summons, saying it was parliament's right and not out of the ordinary. "I was ready to answer questions before the election," he said. "But I thought it might have an impact on election results and then I would be blamed for it. I am the easiest to blame." After an hour-long grilling that included questions on the botched financing of the Tehran metro and the veracity of government figures showing the creation of 1.6 million jobs in 2009 and 2010, many parliamentarians remained unimpressed.
"Ahmadinejad's answers to lawmakers' questions were illogical, illegal and an attempt to avoid answering them. With an insulting tone, Ahmadinejad made fun of lawmakers' questions and insulted parliament," Mohammad Taqi Rahbar was quoted as saying by parliament's news agency.