TEHRAN -- Majlis deputies continued debate on Wednesday on a bill concerning the role and legal authority of city councils.

In this session, presided over by the Second Deputy Speaker of the Majlis, Mohammad-Reza Khatami, MPs passed an article of the bill granting permission to the city councils to choose town and city mayors for four-year terms.

The interior minister would be responsible for confirming the choice in provincial capitals and cities with a population greater than 200,000 and provincial governors would have this responsibility in smaller cities.

According to the new bill, the interior minister and governors would be required to confirm and officially announce the chosen candidate as the new mayor within 15 days.

Otherwise, the council chairman would be required to take the necessary measures independently to confirm the new mayor under the authority granted to him/her by the law.

If the bill were ratified, the councils would be given the right to suspend or remove the mayor and to appoint a new mayor if the mayor resigns.

Meanwhile, the new bill called on the Interior Ministry to draw up a list of the required qualifications for mayors.

The Majlis bill on city councils tasks councils with supervising all financial matters of municipalities, including loans and contracts, and calls on the councils to formulate plans and carefully follow up resolutions they approve.

A draft submitted by the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on allowing city councils to create local council branches was not included in yesterday's amendments.

The Majlis is scheduled to review other articles of the bill on Sunday.