The Iranian parliament has kicked off a days-long debate to assess the qualifications of cabinet ministers proposed by new president Masoud Pezeshkian.

According to The Iran Project, the  legislative body, called Majles, convened on Saturday to assess the qualifications of the 19 proposed ministers. 263 lawmakers were present in the open session headed by Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

The session began with a speech by President Pezeshkian, who according to Majles’ bylaw, is given a 150-minute time to defend his cabinet and elaborate on its future plans to administer the country.

After the president’s speech, 5 lawmakers speak in favor of his proposed cabinet, each given a 15-minute time. Five more lawmakers also speak against the cabinet, each within the same time span of 15 minutes.

Furthermore, the specialized committees of the Majles would present their reports on the plans they received from the proposed ministers last week. This is followed by speeches by four lawmakers, 2 in favor and 2 opposed, about the ministers’ plans. Each lawmaker should give their speech within 15 minutes.

After that, the president or his proposed ministers are given time to defend their plans. The ministers are chosen in alphabetical order to give their speeches.

Majles is expected to conclude the process of assessing the ministers’ qualifications by Wednesday when lawmakers will decide on giving their vote of confidence to the proposed cabinet.