Iran Lawmakers: Oust Ahmadinejad

For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, lawmakers in parliament are openly calling for the impeachment of the president. Accusing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of violating the law and exceeding his constitutional authority, conservative parliamentarians have begun collecting the 74 signatures necessary to openly debate impeachment; one prominent lawmaker has said 40 people have signed on to the petition. An earlier effort to impeach the president was halted, lawmakers revealed, after direct order from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The move represents the harshest public criticism ever leveled against Ahmadinejad, and it’s all the more significant because it’s being spearheaded by conservatives, representing deepening divisions in the bloc that rallied around the president after the contested 2009 elections.