Iranian parliament rejects appointment of Sunni vice president

The Iranian parliament on Wednesday blocked the appointment of a politician from the Sunni minority as vice president, state media reported.

In August, President Masoud Pezeshkian announced the appointment of Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh as his vice president for rural development and disadvantaged areas, citing his "valuable experience".

But on Wednesday lawmakers voted against his resignation from parliament to take up the vice president post, the official IRNA news agency said.

"Parliament members voted 107 in favor, 129 against, and five abstentions out of the 247 representatives present," it added.

Following the vote, parliament member Mehrdad Lahouti said the vote was meant to keep Hosseinzadeh in the legislature due to his "capabilities and experience".

"The MPs believe his presence in parliament would be more effective and useful," said Lahouti in remarks quoted by parliament news agency ICANA.

He said the decision to bar Hosseinzadeh from resigning was "completely unrelated" to his being a Sunni.

Sunni Muslims account for around 10 percent of Iran's population, where the vast majority are Shiites and that branch of Islam is the official state religion.

They have rarely held key positions of power since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Iran has numerous vice presidents tasked with leading organizations related to presidential affairs in the country.

A 44-year-old reformist, Hosseinzadeh has since 2012 represented the northwestern cities of Naghadeh and Oshnavieh in the Iranian parliament.

He has spoken out publicly on several occasions in defense of the rights of Iran's Sunnis.

During his election campaign Pezeshkian, himself a reformist, criticized the lack of representation for ethnic and religious minorities, in particular Sunni Kurds, in important positions.