TEHRAN – Mohammad Hadi Zahedivafa failed to secure the Iranian parliament’s vote to become minister of labor and social welfare just by one vote.

Out of 272 representatives present in the parliament, Zahedivafa got 136 votes.

125 MPs voted against him and 9 abstained.

To win the post of minister, a nominee must win half of the votes of MPs present in the parliament plus one.

President Ebrahim Raisi had attended the parliament to defend the competence of Zahedivafa for the post of labor minister.

Zahedivafa had acted as caretaker labor minister since his predecessor Hojjat Abdolmaleki resigned on June 14, 2022.

Zahedivafa, an Ottawa University PhD holder in economics, was serving as deputy to First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber before named as caretaker minister.