Iranian Lawmakers Move to Impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

(Nov. 23) -- Iran's parliament moved to impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this weekend but was thwarted by orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an Ahmadinejad supporter, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing conservative papers in Iran.

In a report released Sunday, which was discussed in parliament on Monday, lawmakers accused "Ahmadinejad and his government of 14 counts of violating the law, often by acting without the approval of the legislature," reports the Journal. "Charges include illegally importing gasoline and oil, failing to provide budgetary transparency and withdrawing millions of dollars from Iran's foreign reserve fund without getting parliament's approval."

The showdown comes as Ahmadinejad, who is an ultraconservative like Khamenei, plans to eliminate subsidies for gas, food and utilities as a means of dealing with sanctions put in place by the West over Iran's nuclear program. Seventy-four signatures are needed to start impeachment proceedings, and so far 40 members of parliament have signed. Iran's parliament has 290 seats.

"The move to remove the president from office marks the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic that parliament has discussed impeachment of a president," the Journal reports. "Though the legislature is backed by the Iranian constitution, lawmakers can't drive Mr. Ahmadinejad from office without the supreme leader's agreement."

In 2008, parliament successfully impeached one of Ahmadinejad's favored ministers, Interior Minister Ali Kordan. It was discovered that Kordan had forged a degree from Oxford and lied about his credentials.

Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

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