Lenny DongIRAN: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

Single handedly the most powerful political figure in the country

Can: Overrule or dismiss the president Appoint the head of the judiciary

and half of the Guardian Council Appoint commanders of the all

branches of military Is entrusted with the task of

ensuring that laws conform to Islam

Originally had to be the highest-ranking Shiite cleric now just has to be a member of the clergy

ONE MAN ABOVE ALL OTHERS THE SUPREME LEADER

Current Supreme Leader:Ayatollah Seyyed Ali

Khamenei

Directly elected by voters Needs an absolute majority of

votes, so run-off if no majority Term is four years , term limit of

two After the an amendment in 1989,

the presidency was strengthened, and the office of prime minister was removed

Powers: Chooses members of his cabinet,

which are approved by the parliament

Presents legislation to the parliament Upholds the constitution Coordinates government decisions

HEAD OF EXECUTIVETHE PRESIDENT

Current President: Hassan Rouhani

AKA Council of Guardians12-member council that can

veto any legislation passed by the parliament

Determines who can run in local, presidential, parliamentary, and Assembly of Religious Experts elections (vets candidates)

Six theologians appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the Head of the Judiciary and approved by the parliament

Six-year terms

GUARDIAN COUNCIL

State emblem of the Islamic Republic of

Iran

86-member male assembly(sorry no females allowed)

Charged with appointing and evaluating the performance of the Supreme Leader

Popularly elected, but…Consists of clerics for the

most partCandidates must pass an

examination on religious knowledge, and are chosen by the Guardian Council

ASSEMBLY OF (RELIGIOUS) EXPERTS

Former Iranian president and head of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (C), delivers a speech during a meeting of the top clerical body in Tehran on September 14, 2010 (Photo: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Unicameral290 deputies elected for four-

year terms Can introduce and pass laws Can summon and impeach

ministers or the president Bills have to be approved by the

Guardian Council Not always rubberstamp – fierce

debates take place in the parliament

The constitution mandates small religious minorities have to have seats reserved in the parliament

Directly elected in multi-member and single member districts

PARLIAMENT “MAJLES”

(ISLAMIC CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY)

The current speaker, Ali Larijani, is a former chief nuclear negotiator

AKA Council for the Expediency of the State

Created by the Supreme Leader in 1988 to settle disputes between the Guardian Council and the parliament

24 leading political personalities in the country

Resolves disputes in a way that best serves the interest of the system

Appointed for three-year terms Composed of:

Heads of three branches of government

Six clerical members of the Guardian council

Others appointed by the Supreme Leader

EXPEDIENCY COUNCIL

Islamic Republic Party, the most important post-revolutionary political party, was dissolved in 1987 because of internal disputes

Later there was a ban on any party formationPolitical parties were legalized in 1998, but the

parties are still at an early stage of development (fluid, multi-party system)

Largest reform party is the Islamic Iran Participation Front

PARTIES

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (Supreme Leader) – Combatant Clergy Association

Hassan Rouhani (President) – Moderation and Development Party

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani(Chairman of the Expediency Council) – Executives of Construction Party

Sadeq Larijani (Chief Justice of Iran) – Independent

CURRENT POLITICIANS & PARTY

Almost an election a yearEligible voters have increased from 20 million

people in 1979 to over 46 million in 2004. (50 million as of 2013)

Although candidates were vetted, elections are still very competitive with high voter turnout (72% in the 2013 presidential election)

“Reformist” candidates are usually, if not always, disqualified by the Guardian Council

Universal suffrage from age of 18 since 2007

ELECTIONS

Highly controversial The court system should be

independent, but since the Supreme Leader appoints the Head of the Judiciary, the judges will almost always be uniformly conservative clerics

Religious zealots also known as Hezbollahis (members of the Party of God) serve as watchdogs of the clerical establishment

Recent years, the judicial system has been used to undermine reforms by imprisoning reformists and closing down reformist papers

Head of Judiciary gets to appoint 6 members of the Guardian Council

THE JUDICIARY

Current head of judiciary: Sadeq Larijani

Sharia was restored as the core of the legal system after the 1979 revolution

The 1979 constitution codified “Islamic law” as “state law”

Full of contradiction, which gave rise to debates concerning the politics of Iranian legal arrangements

This allows the Guardian Council to vet out candidates who aren’t favorable

LEGAL SYSTEM

Revolutionary Guards: Formed after the revolution to

protect new leaders and institutions

Maintains internal security Top brass is usually loyal to

the supreme leaderRegular army:

Safeguards borders (international)

Commanders are appointed by the Supreme Leader

MILITARY

Revolutionary Guards

Influential economic player Has control over strategic industries, commercial services

and black-market enterprises Controls roughly $12 billion in construction and engineering

capitalOriginally a “people’s army”, similar to the US

National GuardFormed in 1979 as a counterweight to the regular

military and to avoid a coupControls Iran’s Basij Resistance ForcesHas the Quds Force as the paramilitary arm which

acts as external affairs branch.

REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS

A paramilitary volunteer corps

Originally a fighting group in the 1980-88 war with Iraq

Currently a grass-roots defender of the system: Roles such as Islamic morality

police at check points Shock troops dealing with pro-

reform gatherings Can be found in all

governmental bodies, universities and schools.

Volunteers enjoy favorable treatment from the government

BASIJ

Very little is knownCreated during the Iran-Iraq war10,000 to 15,000 personnel as of 2013Mandate is to conduct foreign policy missionsSupported terrorist activities and armed pro-Iranian

militant groups across the Mideast and beyondProvided support to the Kurds fighting Saddam

HusseinPrimary goal: Support foreign Islamic

revolutionary movements

QUDS FORCE

1. http:/ /graphics8.nyt imes.com/images/2009/06/28/weekinreview/marsh_grfk_1260x943. jpg

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www.crethip lethi .com/iran-ayatol lah-rafsanjani - faces-a-vote-on-his- future/ is lamic-countr ies/ i ran- is lamic-countr ies/2011/

4. http:/ /www.memri .org/report /en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1594.html5. http:/ / f ramework. lat imes.com/2014/02/03/photo-essay- i ran-paramil i tary-basi j -

volunteer-corps/#/0

6. http:/ /news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi /8051750.stm7. http:/ /www.cfr.org/ i ran/ irans-revolut ionary-guards/p143248. http:/ /www.globalsecur ity.org/mil i tary/wor ld/ i ran/edc.htm9. http:/ /www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/f ront l ine/shows/tehran/ ins ide/govt.html10. http:/ /www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/world/middleeast/ in - iran-r ivalry-khamene

i-takes-on-pres idency- i tse l f.html?ref=world&_r=0

11. http:/ /i ranprimer.us ip .org/resource/basi j - res istance-force12. http:/ /www.globalsecur ity.org/ inte l l /world/ i ran/qods.htm13. http:/ /i ranprimer.us ip .org/resource/revolut ionary-guards14. http:/ /

news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl /h i /middle_east/03/ i ran_power/html/expediency_counci l .stm

15. http:/ /www.iranonl ine.com/iran/ iran- info/government/Expediency.html

SOURCES