Iran’s new interior minister seeks to empower provinces
More provincial discretion can help address problems, says Iran’s new interior minister.
During an interview on Iranian television Sunday, Iran’s new Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi suggested giving provinces more discretion in resolving their problems.
Vahidi, a former minister of defense, said, “Our country is managed at the ministerial level and some feel that it should be managed more at the provincial level, to maximize the potential of the provinces and have the ministries monitor and support.” He added that he favors the idea.
Vahidi continued, “Today the discretion of governors is limited and they need more power.” He stressed that these powers need to be clearly defined and appropriate budgets allocated.
Under Iran’s current system, the interior minister appoints individual governors for the country’s 31 provinces. Vahidi is not proposing a change to this system, but is recommending that governors gain more power to make decisions without having to wait on approval from Tehran.
