Iran MPs fail in bid to oust education minister

TEHRAN, May 16 (Reuters) Iran's education minister survived a parliamentary bid to unseat him day, the third time President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government has fended off an attempt to oust a minister since taking office in 2005.

In the 290-seat parliament, 139 MPs voted against impeaching Mahmoud Farshidi, while 89 supported the motion which, among other accusations, said he had failed to meet his promise of improving the financial situation for Iranian teachers.

Ahmadinejad defended his education minister, saying problems in the sector had preceded the government's taking office.

''Since I was going to primary school I remember the education ministry had problems,'' the 49-year-old president told the chamber before the vote in a live radio broadcast.

''Historical problems have accumulated here,'' he said.

Teachers have recently held protests for better pay, including one earlier this month they said was broken up by police. An Iranian rights group said several demonstrators were arrested.

Ahmadinejad swept to power two years ago on a pledge to share out Iran's oil wealth more fairly and return to the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

But some members of parliament, which is dominated by the conservative Abadgaran faction that backed his presidential bid, have become increasingly critical of the government's economic policies, especially its failing to rein in inflation.

Two other attempts to remove members of Ahmadinejad's government have also failed. In October, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Reza Eskandari survived a vote of no-confidence after Ahmadinejad defended him against accusations of mismanagement.

And the first attempt targeted Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, following a military plane crash that killed 108 people in 2005. But it did not reach a vote.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, told officials last year to stop criticising the government in public.

Reuters ABM DB1825