Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad narrowly avoided losing his second minister in as many months on Sunday when parliament voted not to impeach him by just one vote. In parliament, which ousted Ahmadinejad's transport minister in February, 101 lawmakers voted to impeach Energy Minister Majid Namjou but 102 voted against, with 209 voting in total.
Namjou's survival spares Ahmadinejad the defeat he suffered last month in an impeachment that he branded "illegal" and which illustrated on-going divisions between parliament and the executive.
In a conciliatory move, Ahmadinejad, who snubbed the impeachment hearing for Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani, attended Sunday's session to appeal for Namjou's career.