Iran's parliament approved the president's three final Cabinet nominations amid criticism that one of the candidates had mismanaged the postelection turmoil in the country when he was head of national security, state radio reported on Sunday.
While the nominees for the education and energy portfolios sailed through with overwhelming majorities, Sadeq Mahsouli, the former minister of interior, barely squeaked by with 149 votes out of 265 lawmakers present.
Conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari led the criticism against Mahsouli, accusing him of allowing widespread abuses by security forces.
"Some events like the crackdown on the university dormitories and the shocking events in Kahrizak detention center occurred under his responsibility," he said. "The parliament should not award a medal for mismanagement."
Kahrizak detention center was closed down in July by authorities after reports of the severe abuse of prisoners there.
Iran was rocked by demonstrations following opposition accusations of fraud in the June elections, which were won by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The president's victory was announced in the evening of the voting day, much earlier than in the past, which Motahari said cast further doubt on the results.
Other lawmakers pointed out that as a former security man, Mahsouli was little qualified for the post of running the nation's vast welfare system.
Mahsouli did not answer the criticisms in his remarks in parliament and only asked lawmakers to vote for him.
Parliament approved handily the appointment of parliamentarian Hamid Reza Hajibabai as education minister and Majid Namjou, a former deputy energy minister, as the energy minister.
The positions fill the remaining vacancies in Ahmadinejad's new cabinet after parliament rejected his earlier three nominees for that post in September.
Ahmadinejad is considered a religious hard-liner but clashed in September with the conservative parliament over his efforts to nominate three women as cabinet ministers.
The other 18 members, including a woman as health minister, were approved.
The cabinet includes 21 ministers and 12 vice presidents.
