Iran’s parliament has summoned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to answer questions about his foreign and domestic policy decisions and the state of Iran’s economy.

It is the first time a president has been summoned for questioning since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Ahmadinejad has been threatened with this action previously but has never been summoned.

Ahmedinejad will appear in parliament within a month, as prescribed by Iran’s constitution. Seventy-nine members of the 290-member Majlis voted on 7 February to summon the president.

“There is a requirement for the president to answer questions in an open session of the parliament,” deputy speaker Mohammed Reza Bahonar said in a speech broadcast on state radio.

Ahmadinejad must answer about 10 questions regarding the economy, including perceived failures to enact legislation, tackle unemployment and pay subsidies. Other questions focus on the widening rift between the president and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Another will seek an explanation why Ahmedinejad dismissed former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki in December 2010 (MEED 18:4:11).

The president will also be asked why his administration failed to promote the Islamic dress code dictating that women should cover their heads. He will also be asked to explain his ties to his chief-of-staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son.