'The nomination of the three women is a message by the revolution and a model for future generations,' the president added.

The three female ministers are former parliamentarians Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi and Fatemeh Ajorlou for the ministries of health and social welfare respectively, and Susan Keshavarz, who has been tapped for promotion from deputy to minister of education.

As all three are conservatives, on the same wavelength as the president and have no record of involvement in women's rights activities in Iran, observers believe that Ahmadinejad nominated them to soften his image as an Islamic hardliner.

The new ministers are expected to present their programmes and reply to critics in parliament Monday.

Ahmadinejad's re-election is still disputed due to alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election. Widespread protests following the election led to mass arrests and the deaths of more than 20 demonstrators.

The 290-member parliament is dominated by conservatives, but the pro-Ahmadinejad wing in the legislative power has gradually shrunk, especially after the president refused to consult the deputies before selecting his new ministers.

According to reports, parliament is expected to reject at least five appointees, including the president's choice for the Ministry of Oil, which oversees the country's main income source.

On Saturday, just before the parliamentary session, new Chief Judge Sadeq Amoli-Larijani dismissed hardline Tehran prosecutor Saeid Mortazavi, who is said to have been close to Ahmadinejad.

Mortazavi was one of the most notorious officials in the judiciary involved in the prosecution of several dissidents and chief editors, and is a well-known opponent of the country's reformist wings.

Mortazavi was also linked to the mysterious death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2003 and was in charge of closing down several reformist newspapers in the last 10 years.