Ahmadinejad replaces one of his vice presidents

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad replaced one of his vice presidents on Wednesday, apparently as part of a redistribution of departmental authority within the government, the official news agency reported.

Vice President Farhad Rahbar, who headed the Management and Planning Agency, was replaced by Amir Mansour Borghei, the Islamic Republic News Agency said.

The report gave no reason for the change, but last month the president decided to merge the Management and Planning Agency's provincial branches with the local governors' administrations. The move significantly downgraded the planning agency's responsibilities.

IRNA quoted an anonymous government official as saying that Rahbar would be reassigned, but this could not be confirmed Wednesday.

AP