TEHRAN, Iran, (AP) – Iran’s parliament has impeached the country’s interior minister in a vote widely seen as a defeat for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Parliament’s no-confidence vote for Ali Kordan comes after he admitted he had a fake honorary degree from Oxford University.

Of the 247 lawmakers attending Tuesday’s open session, 188 voted against Kordan. Forty-five voted in his favor and 14 abstained. The session was broadcast live on state radio.

The impeachment is the first high-profile political battle between the new parliament and Ahmadinejad.

Kordan is an ally of Ahmadinejad’s and the impeachment is seen as a vote of no-confidence for the hard-line president’s administration.