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Embattled Rouhani struggles to find allies in parliament

President Hassan Rouhani has had a contentious relationship with his conservative parliament, and steps to form a moderate faction have been slow.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is surrounded by security while commuting to meetings on the sidelines of the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, September 25, 2014. Rouhani blamed the rise of violent extremism on "certain states" and on unidentified "intelligence agencies" and said it was up to the region to find a solution to the problem. REUTERS/Adrees Latif  (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47PL1
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It has been more than a year since President Hassan Rouhani’s administration came to power and now there is more talk than ever before about forming a moderate pro-administration faction in the parliament. This issue has become more serious following the events of the last few months, including the science minister's impeachment. Rouhani’s fourth nomination for science minister failed to receive a vote of confidence from parliament and there has been constant questioning and summoning of different members of Rouhani’s Cabinet.

It appears that whenever there is tension between the parliament and the administration, certain parliament members remind the administration that such a parliamentary faction is needed. But it also appears that serious opposition has prevented the moderate faction from forming. In addition to people like House Speaker Ali Larijani and Ahmad Tavakoli, an influential Principlist parliamentarian, even some who have close ties with the Reformists, such as Kamal Pirmoazen, oppose the idea of forming such a faction.

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