Government of Iran

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Iran

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The Government of Iran is headed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, the ultimate head of Iran's political establishment is the Supreme Leader, who is a religious figure elected by the Assembly of Experts.

Contents

[edit] Controversy

According to current election laws, a body of 12 experts called the Guardian Council oversees and approves electoral candidates for most national elections in Iran. Half of the members of this body are appointed by the Supreme Leader. According to the current law, this council vets also Assembly of Experts candidates, which in turn in supervise and elect the Supreme Leader, which ultimately creates a closed loop of power.

In addition, current elections law requires Assembly of Experts candidates to be religious mujtahids, which greatly narrows the potential field.

Neither of these two laws are mandated by the constitution and are ordinary laws passed by the Parliament or the Assembly of Experts, which therefore can theoretically be reversed. However, despite efforts of many political activists, it has proven to be practically impossible to do so until now.

Many Iranian reformists (including Abdollah Noori) consider this to be the core legal obstacle for a truly democratic system in Iran.

[edit] Executive branch

Main office holders
Office Name Party Since
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad August 3, 2005
First Vice President Parviz Dawoodi September 11, 2005

The president of the republic is elected by universal suffrage to a four-year term by an absolute majority of votes and is the head of the executive branch. The president appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers (members of the cabinet), coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the Islamic Assembly (Parliament). According to the constitution, the President is the head of government and is emphasized as the highest ranking official in the country after the Supreme Leader. The President is in charge of enforcing the constitution and supervising the proper execution of its laws "except for matters directly stated as duties of the Supreme Leader in the constitution".

See also: Council of Ministers

[edit] Legislative branch

Iran elects on national level a head of government (the president), a legislature (the Majlis), and an "Assembly of Experts" (which elects the head of state, the Supreme Leader). The parliament, officially titled the Islamic Consultative Assembly, consists of 290 members elected to a four-year term in multi- and single-seat constituencies. The members are elected by direct and secret ballot. Officially recognized religious minorities of Iran including Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians each have a reserved seat among the 290 members of the Parliament. All legislation from the assembly must be reviewed by the Council of Guardians. The Council's six lawyers vote only on questions of the constitutionality of legislation; the religious members consider all bills for both constitutionality and conformity to Islamic principles. In 1988, Ayatollah Khomeini created the Expediency Discernment Council, which resolves legislative issues on which the Parliament and the Council of Guardians fail to reach an agreement. The council later became a part of the amended constitution. Since 1989, it has been used to advise the Supreme Leader on matters of national policy as well. It is composed of the heads of the three branches of government, the clerical members of the Council of Guardians, and members appointed by the Supreme Leader for three-year terms. Cabinet members and parliament committee chairs also serve as temporary members when issues under their jurisdictions are considered.

[edit] Judicial branch

Main article: Judicial system of Iran

Judicial authority is constitutionally vested in the Head of the Judiciary Branch, who is appointed by the Supreme Leader for five-year terms. The Head of the Judiciary Branch appoints a Supreme Court and the chief public prosecutor. A Minister of Justice is also appointed by the president from a list of candidates suggested by the Head of the Judiciary, but is only an administrative position. The Judiciary Branch is responsible for supervising the enforcement of all laws and for establishing judicial and legal policies. Public courts deal with civil and criminal cases. "Revolutionary" courts try certain categories of offenses, including crimes against national security. Decisions rendered in revolutionary courts are final and cannot be appealed. The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics, although it has also taken on cases involving lay people. The rulings of the Special Clerical Court, which functions independently of the regular judicial framework and is accountable only to the Supreme Leader, are also final and cannot be appealed.

[edit] Supreme Leader (Valiye Faghih or The Jurisprudent Guardian)

Main office holders
Office Name Party Since
Supreme Leader (Rahbar) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei June 4, 1989

Valiye Faghih or The Jurisprudent Guardian, more commonly known as the Supreme Leader, is the Iranian head of state (as opposed to the head of government, which is the President). The concept of velayat-e-faqih -- the guardianship of the jurisprudent -- was introduced by Ayatollah Khomeini and included in the constitution after the 1979 revolution. According to the constitution, the Supreme Leader co-ordinates and solves disputes between the three branches of state (executive, legistative, and judicial). The constitution gives the Supreme Leader vast powers, including:

  • Appointing head of Judicial Branch
  • Supreme command of armed forces
  • Issuing decrees for national referenda
  • Declaration of war and peace
  • Mobilization of the armed forces
  • Dismissal of the President, after the Supreme Court holds him guilty of the violation of his constitutional duties, or after a vote of the Parliament testifying to his incompetence on the basis of Article 89 of the Constitution

Contrary to popular belief, the Supreme Leader is indeed an elected post. According to the Iranian constitution (having mentioned Ayatollah Khomeini exempt from this rule as the founder of the revolution), the Supreme Leader is elected by a congress-like body called the Assembly of Experts, whose members are elected by direct public vote to eight-year terms. The Supreme Leader is appointed for life once elected; however, the Assembly, which is also in charge of making sure that the Leader complies with his legal duties, has the power to dismiss and replace him at any time.

  • It should be noted that the Assembly of Experts must first be nominated by the Council of Guardians, who happen to be very much under the control of the Ayatollah.

[edit] City and Village Councils

Main article: City and Village Councils of Iran

Local councils are elected by public vote in all cities and villages throughout Iran to 4 year terms. According to article 7 of the Iranian Constitution, these local councils together with the Parliament are "decision-making and administrative organs of the State". This section of the constitution was not implemented until 1999 when the first ever local council elections where held throughout the country. Councils have many different responsibilities including electing mayors, supervising the activies of municipalities; study of social, cultural, educational, health, economic, and welfare requirements of their constituencies; the planning and coordination of national participation in the implementation of social, economic, constructive , cultural, educational and other welfare affairs, etc.

[edit] Images

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Government Ministries of Iran

[edit] Other government links

[edit] External links

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