TEHRAN: The Iranian parliament on Wednesday blocked the appointment of a politician from the Sunni minority as vice president, state media reported.

In August, President Masoud Pezeshkian had announced the appointment of Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh as his vice president for rural development and disadvantaged areas, citing his “valuable experience”.

But on Wednesday lawmakers voted against his resignation from parliament to take up the vice president post, the official IRNA news agency said.

“Parliament members voted 107 in favour, 129 against, and five abstentions out of the 247 representatives present,” it added.

Following the vote, parliament member Mehrdad Lahouti said the vote was meant to keep Hosseinzadeh in the legislature due to his “capabilities and experience”.

“The MPs believe his presence in parliament would be more effective and useful,” said Lahouti in remarks quoted by parliament news agency ICANA.

He said the decision to bar Hosseinzadeh from resigning was “completely unrelated” to his being a Sunni.