President Hassan Rouhani’s top advisor, Mohammad Ali Najafi says that the president’s current cabinet will be undergo a major reshuffle.

In an interview with conservative Tasnim news agency, Mr. Najafi said, “We shall see, but my prediction is that fifty percent of the current cabinet will change.”

On June 3, Rouhani harshly criticized those ministers who had not actively defended the record of his government during the presidential election campaign.

“We have a heavy burden on our shoulders. Whoever is ready to carry that burden should volunteer,” Rouhani demanded.

Meanwhile several politicians have expressed confidence that Rouhani has a better chance this time to get his ministerial candidates approved in parliament. Apparently, parliament has a more favorable political leaning now than four years ago, when two of Rouhani’s proposed candidates were rejected and one was impeached later.

In his first post-election press conference, Hassan Rouhani had announced that his new cabinet will be younger and the median age of senior managers will be five years less.

Rouhani had also disclosed that in the first cabinet meeting after the elections he issued instructions for appointing more women and younger people in managerial positions, in tune with the wishes of voters, “especially women, the youth and minorities.”

In Rouhani’s first government there were no female ministers.