Sousan Keshavarz (; born 1965) was the 2009 nominee of Iran's President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

as Minister of Education. She was voted down by the

Majlis of Iran The Islamic Consultative Assembly (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the unicameral national legislative body of Iran. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an ...

on September 3, 2009, with 49 favoring, 209 opposing, and 28 abstaining votes.

Career

Keshavarz was previously a deputy in the Education Ministry for one year.

Nomination

She has been criticized for her lack of experience. Asadollah Abbasi, a member of the

Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Education Committee, said beforehand that Mr. Ahmedinejad's nomination of Keshavarz would make it "clear that he knows nothing about education." However, MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi supported her, saying that women constitute 50 percent of the country’s population and 60 percent of the students in universities are female. He added that naming them in the new cabinet is a reformation.http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=201729 Suggested cabinet to face challenges Following her nomination for the education ministry, Keshavarz's presentation of her policy agenda in late August 2009 made her the first woman ministerial nominee to address the Iranian parliament since the 1970s.

References

21st-century Iranian women politicians 21st-century Iranian politicians Living people Presidential advisers of Iran 1965 births {{Iran-stub