TEHRAN Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Ali Sadooqi was appointed on Sunday as vice president for legal and parliamentary affairs by President Mohammad Khatami. Sadooqi, a former lawmaker and Friday prayer leader of Yazd is replacing Hojjatoleslam Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari who was appointed as interior minister last month. According to Leader's approval, Sadooqi should continue to serve as Yazd Friday prayers leader. Hojjatoleslam Sadooqi is also a representative of Leader in Yazd Province. He was born in 1949, in Qom. Besides Persian he speaks Arabic and English fluently.

He is the son of late Ayatollah Mohammad Sadooqi who was martyred in 1987 by terrorist Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO). The president said on Sunday that Sadooqi is a committed person possessing the required qualifications and hoped that he will be successful in the new capacity.