TEHRAN – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad submitted the 5th national development plan (2010-2015) to the Majlis on Sunday.

The president pointed out that the plan has been designed in such a way that the Constitution’s full potential is realized and the sublime objectives of the Islamic Revolution are achieved.
The plan aims to promote independence and justice in cultural, political and economic areas, and materialize the Article 44 of the Constitution which calls for privatization of state-owned companies, Ahmadinejad said.
The president also pointed out that the administration has drawn up the plan based on the experience gained in the previous national development plans. He called the plan coherent and flexible with clear objectives.
However, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said that the Majlis does not have enough time to examine the national budget bill for the next year and the fifth development plan by the end of the current Iranian calendar year which ends on March 20.
The administration has announced that it will submit the national budget bill to the parliament next week. The administration should have submitted the national budget bill by December 6.
The Majlis does not have enough time to closely examine the budget bill and the development plan, Larijani lamented.
Larijani added that the MPs should hold a meeting to prioritize the examination of the plans.
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Hassan Aboutorabi, had earlier said that the administration’s delay in submitting the national budget bill for the next year has burdened the parliament with time constraints in examining the bill