Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s public humiliation of ‘re-elected’ President Ahmadinejad by sending a handwritten note that the pick of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as his first vice president is ‘null and void’ makes an impact. Ahmadinejad’s cabinet rapidly decays. Iranian media report that three ministers have been sacked today: Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad-Hassan Saffar-Harandi and Labor Minister Mohammad Jahromi; for criticizing the President’s decision, of course. Today’s claims that Health Minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani was also removed from his post were later denied, as semi-independent presstv writes.

Ahmadinejad seems to have little support in the majlis. But now it might be that the ‘re-elected’ President gets into real trouble. Since he has removed, during his first four-year term, 11 out of 21 ministers, he may face the rather weird situation of having to seek a fresh vote of confidence from Parliament for the very last days of his government. Article 136 of the Iranian Constitution demands that “[I]n case of half of the members of Cabinet are replaced, the government must seek a fresh vote of confidence from Parliament.”

The 9th Government tenure ends August 2, so there is one week left. Maybe the way is being cleared for a new election after the June 12 probable massive election fraud in favor of Ahmadinejad. Wouldn’t it be a pretty elegant loophole?