President of Iran

President of Iran
Official emblem
Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 3 August 2005
Residence	Sa'dabad Palace
Appointer	Popularly Elected
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Abolhassan Banisadr
Formation	October 24, 1979 (1979-10-24) (31 years ago)
Website	www.president.ir

Iran

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Iran

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The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties, agreements etc. with other countries and international organizations; the national planning and budget and state employment affairs; appointing ministers, governors, and ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament.^[1]

Unlike some other countries, for example the United States, in Iran the office of presidency does not bestow full control over foreign policy, the armed forces, or the nuclear policy of the Iranian state, which are ultimately under the control of the Supreme Leader.^[2]

The President is elected for a four-year term by the direct vote of the people and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms.

The current President of Iran is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since the Iranian presidential election, 2005. He was reelected after the disputed Iranian presidential election, 2009.

Background

1st and 2nd Presidents of Iran

Banisadr the first president

Rajai the second president

After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and referendum to create the Islamic Republic on March 29 and 30, the new government needed to craft a new constitution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, ordered an election for the Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with writing the constitution.^[3] The assembly presented the constitution on October 24, 1979, and Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini and Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan approved it.

The 1979 Constitution designated the Supreme Leader as the the head of state and the President and Prime Minister as the heads of government. The post of Prime Minister was abolished in 1989.

The first Iranian presidential election was held on January 25, 1980 and resulted in the election of Abulhassan Banisadr with 76% of the votes. Banisadr was impeached on June 22, 1981 by Parliament. Until the early election on July 24, 1981, the duties of the President were undertaken by the Provisional Presidential Council. Mohammad-Ali Rajai was elected President on July 24, 1981 and took office on August 2. Rajai in office less than one month because he and his prime minister were assassinated. Once again a Provisional Presidential Council filled the office until October 13, 1981 when Ali Khamenei was elected president.

Ali Khamenei, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were each elected president for two terms.

Qualifications and election

The President of Iran is elected for a four year term in a national election by universal adult suffrage for everyone of at least 15 years of age.^[4] Candidates for the presidency must be approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians. Half of the Council's members are appointed by the Supreme Leader and are intended to preserve the values of the Islamic Republic. According to the constitution of Iran candidates for the presidency must possess the following qualifications:

• Iranian origin;

• Iranian nationality;

• administrative capacity and resourcefulness;

• a good past record;

• trustworthiness and piety; and

• convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official madhhab of the country.^[5]

Within these guidelines the Council vetoes candidates who are deemed unacceptable. The approval process is considered to be a check on the president's power, and usually amounts to a small number of candidates being approved. In the 1997 election, for example, only four out of 238 presidential candidates were approved by the council. Western observers have routinely criticized the approvals process as a way for the Council and Supreme Leader to ensure that only conservative and like-minded Islamic fundamentalists can win office. However, the council rejects the criticism, citing approval of reformists in previous elections. The council rejects most of the candidates stating that they are not "a well-known political figure", a requirement by the current law. The President must be elected with a simple majority of the popular vote. A runoff election may be required to achieve this. The President serves for a term of four years and is eligible for a second term.

Sa'dabad Palace, office of President

Presidential council

According to the Iranian constitution, when the President dies or is impeached, a special provisional Presidential Council temporarily rules in his place until an election can be held. The President automatically becomes the Head of the Council of Cultural Revolution and the Head of the Council of National Security.

Powers and responsibilities

• Head of Government and Cabinet
• Head of the Council of National Security
• Head of the Council of Cultural Revolution
• Sends and receives all foreign ambassadors
• Selection of Vice Presidents

Oath of office

I, as the President, upon the Holy Qur'an and in the presence of the Iranian nation, do hereby swear in the name of Almighty God to safeguard the official Faith, the system of the Islamic republic and the Constitution of the country; to use all my talents and abilities in the discharge of responsibilities undertaken by me; to devote myself to the service of the people, glory of the country, promotion of religion and morality, support of right and propagation of justice; to refrain from being autocratic; to protect the freedom and dignity of individuals and the rights of the Nation recognized by the Constitution; to spare no efforts in safeguarding the frontiers and the political, economic and cultural freedoms of the country; to guard the power entrusted to me by the Nation as a sacred trust like an honest and faithful trustee, by seeking help from God and following the example of the Prophet of Islam and the sacred Imams, peace be upon them, and to entrust it to the one elected by the Nation after me.

Last election

Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009,^[6][7] with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast,^[8] and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast.^[9][10] The European Union,^[11] the United Kingdom^[12] the United States, and several western countries expressed concern over alleged irregularities during the vote,^[11] and many analysts and journalists from the United States, Europe and other western based media voiced doubts about the authenticity of the results.^{[13][14][15][16]} Meanwhile many OIC member states, as well as Russia, China, India, and Brazil, have congratulated Ahmadinejad on his victory.

Mousavi issued a statement saying, "I'm warning that I won't surrender to this charade," and urged his supporters to fight the decision, without committing acts of violence.^[14] Protests, in favour of Mousavi and against the alleged fraud, broke out in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, labeling his victory as a "divine assessment".^[17] Mousavi lodged an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council on 14 June.^[18] On 15 June, Khamenei announced there would be an investigation into vote-rigging claims, which would take seven to ten days.^[19] On 16 June, the Guardian Council announced it will recount the votes. However, Mousavi stated that 14 million unused ballots were missing, giving a chance to manipulate the results.^[20] On 29 June, Iran's electoral board completed the partial recount, and concluded that Ahmadinejad won the election, amidst protest from the opposition.^[21]

The President of Iran is the highest official elected by direct popular vote, but does not control foreign policy or the armed forces. Candidates have to be vetted by the Guardian Council, a twelve member body consisting of six clerics (selected by Iran's Supreme Leader) and six lawyers (proposed by the head of Iran's judicial system and voted in by the Parliament).^[22]

The inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was held on 5 August in Tehran amid protests held outside the Parliament.^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Alliance of Builders	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (inc.)	24,527,516	62.63%
	Independent Reformist	Mir-Hossein Mousavi	13,216,411	33.75%
	Moderation and Development	Mohsen Rezaee	678,240	1.73%
	National Trust	Mehdi Karroubi	333,635	0.85%
Valid votes			38,755,802	98.95%
Blank or invalid votes			409,389	1.05%
Totals			39,165,191	100.00%
Voter turnout			85%
Sources: Ministry of Interior of Iran[24]

Living former Presidents

Currently there are four living former presidents:

Living former presidents

Abolhassan Banisadr (Independent), served 1980-1981

Ali Khamenei (Conservative), served 1981-1989

Akbar Rafsanjani (Conservative), served 1989-1997

Mohammad Khatami (Reformist), served 1997-2005

See also

• List of Presidents of Iran
• Vice President of Iran
• Politics of Iran

References

External links

• The President's Office
• Iran's Presidential Office of Scientific and Industrial Studies
• Ahmadinejad's blog

Presidents of Iran (List) Abulhassan Banisadr • Mohammad-Ali Rajai • Ali Khamenei • Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani • Mohammad Khatami • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad