Politics in Iran

Overview: The Big PictureSystem of Government: Theocracy

(Presidential)Distribution of Power: Unitary System Electoral System: SMDP, but double ballotConstitution: Constitution of 1979Legislature: Unicameral—MajlesCurrent Head of State: Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader• Head of Government: Mahmoud AhmadinejadCurrent Ruling Party: “conservatives”Major Political Parties: “conservatives”,

“pragmatists”, and “radicals”

1. Supreme Leader2. Guardian Council3. Expediency Council4. Assembly of Religious Experts5. President6. Parliament—Majles7. Judiciary8. The Constitution—Undemocratic

Institutions of the Islamic Republic

Tension: Between Islam and practical governance

Two types of institutions coexist: Appointed and Elected

Dualism reflects the attempted synthesis between divine and popular sovereignty institutions

Institutions of the Iranian Republic

Dualism: Multiple Power Centers

Iran has 3,000 female ninja assassins…great

Supreme Leader, Guardian Council, The Assembly of Religious Experts, and the Expediency Council DO NOT fit into three branch government.

All have broad executive, legislative, and judicial powers that allow them to supersede all other positions and bodies.

Jurist Guardianship: Ayatollah Khomeini’s overarching principle that they have all encompassing authority over the whole community based on their ability to understand the shari'a and their commitment to champion the rights of the people.

Jurist Guardianship

Highest authority in the Islamic RepublicSeen as iman of entire communityRepresents pinnacle of theocratic

principles of the state.Ayatollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.Faqih: the leading Islamic jurist to

interpret the meaning of religious documents and shari'a law.

Links three branches of government together, may mediate among them, and is charged with “determining the interests of Islam”

The Supreme Leader

Constitution gives Supreme Leader many powers:Elimination of presidential candidatesDismissal of presidentCommand of armed forcesDeclaration of war and peaceAppointment and removal of major administrators

and judgesNomination of six members of Guardian CouncilAppointment of many non-governmental directors,

such as the national radio-television network and semi-public foundations

Formally, is head of state (president is head of government), but the Supreme Leader holds ultimate power

The Supreme Leader

Represents theocratic principlesConsists of twelve MALE clerics

Six appointed by Supreme LeaderSix nominated by the chief judge (judiciary) and approved

by MajlesPurpose: To ensure that all bills passed by Majles

conform to shari'a law.Has power to decide who can compete in elections.

2004 and 2005 disqualified 1000 of candidates for both the Majles and the presidential elections.

Along with Supreme Leader, Guardian Council exercises principle of jurist guardianship, making sure that democratic bodies adhere to Islamic beliefs and laws.

The Guardian Council

86 member all male assembly directly elected every 10 years by people, but whose candidates are approved of by Guardian Council

Given the responsibility of broad constitutional interpretation—along with Supreme Leader and Guardian Council

Main Function: To select Supreme Leader and has power to remove Supreme Leader (after 1989 reforms).

In theory, Assembly of Religious Experts had power over the Supreme Leader, but since the Assembly is chosen by the Guardian Council and the Guardian Council is chosen by the Supreme Leader, the real power always rests with the Supreme Leader.

Assembly of Religious Experts

A 32 member “council for determination of what is in the interest of the regime”

Purpose: Originally designed to solve disputes between Majles and Guardian Council. Now it has expanded powers. Example: Now it can originate its own

legislationBegan as council of 13 clerics, now not all

are clerics but they are appointed by Supreme Leader

Collectively, they represent the most powerful men in Iran.

The Expediency Council

Directly elected by Iranian citizens every four years.

Limited to two consecutive terms in office, though may re-run.

Must be pious Shia who upholds Islamic principles.

The President

President holds the following powers:Devising the budgetSupervising economic mattersProposing legislation to the MajlesExecuting policiesSigning of treaties, laws, and agreementsChairing the National Security CouncilSelecting vice presidents and cabinet membersAppointing provincial governors, town mayors,

and ambassadorsFive of six presidents have been clericsThe cabinet conducts the real day-to-day work

over governance.

The President

Unicameral, the Majles, comprised of 290 members directly elected through SMDP.

Must be Muslims but the Constitution provides for five members of Parliament to represent Christians (3), Jews (one) and Zoroastrians (one)

All its bills are subject to the veto of the Council of Guardians—greatly limits power.

Predates Iranian Revolution—first created by Constitution of 1906

The Majles

Some of the powers of the Majles:Enacting or changing laws (with approval of Guardian

Council Interpreting legislation, as long as they don’t contradict

the judicial authoritiesAppointing six of the twelve members of Guardian Council,

chosen from a list drawn up by the chief judge (judiciary) Investigating the cabinet ministries and public complaints

against the executive and judiciaryRemoving cabinet members, but not the presidentApproving the budget, cabinet appointments, treaties, and

loans

The Majles

Judicial Review does not exist in IranUltimate legal authority resides in shari’a NOT constitution.Run by Chief Justice who is appointed by Supreme Leader

and who must be a cleric.Under Chief Justice is Supreme Court, highest court in the

land.All judges on Supreme Court must be clerics because judicial

system is based on shari'a law.Two important things to remember about judiciary:

1. Distinction between two types of law: shari'a and qanun2. The of principle of jurist guardianship means that the

Supreme Leader, the Guardian Council, and the Assembly of Religious Experts have the final say regarding interpretation of law.

The Judiciary

Shari’a LawIslamic law that comes directly from the time of

Muhammad.Foundation of all Islamic civilization—authority

goes beyond Iran’s borders.Muslims believe it to be the essence of

Muhammad himself.Purpose: Unifying Islamic morals and valuesFoundation of Iran: Sharia law supersedes all

other law, thus is foundation of Iranian law.Jurist Guardianship is a reflection of shari'a law—

Supreme Leader being the key interpreter

The Judiciary

Qanun lawNo sacred basis—unlike shari’a lawInstead is a body of statues made by legislative

bodies inside IranIn Iran, qanun are passed by the Majles.Qanun is law made by the people’s elected

representatives.Qanun must in no way contradict shari’a law.So, it becomes the responsibility of the Majles to

pass responsible qanun, but an important job of the Guardian Council (and ultimately the Supreme Leader) is to review legislative work of Majles and apply the interpretation of shari’a to all laws passed.

The Judiciary

World’s only theocracyA form of government in which ideally all laws

are grounded in religion and express the will of God, and the clergy exercises supreme power

While Islamic law has always been applied to varying degrees in Muslim states, it has almost always been complemented by some sort of nonreligious customary law.

Genuine theocracies have been very rare.Iran’s current theocratic regime constitutes a

break with Muslim tradition.

Background: Islamic Republic of Iran

Established in 1979A few months after a popular revolution uniting

poor and middle-class, religious and secular people overthrew Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi – the last ruler of the country’s ancient monarchy.

Ruholla Khomeini – charismatic clerical leader who had authored a blueprint for theoretic government in the 1970s, led the 1979 revolutionOpposed democracy on religious groundsSovereignty belongs to God aloneDivine law, know as the shari’a, as interpreted and applied

by the ulema (religious scholars in the Muslim world) takes precedence over laws made by human legislators.

Background: Islamic Republic of Iran

Twelver ShiismSplit between Sunnis (90% of all Muslims) and

the Shiites came about after the death of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad

Shiites believed that descendants of the Prophet could be the only rightful successors/leaders-- Imams.Third Imam, Husayn, whose martyrdom in

680 C.E. symbolizes for Shiites for the struggle of the just against the unjust.

Most Shiites believe the Twelfth Imam was the last of the Imam, thus their name.Believe he is alive and will come forth and show

himself to establish a just rule at the end of timeHe is a messiah-like figure.Creates a dilemma for Shiite followers—how do you

rule?

Historical Legacy

Iran-Iraq War: 1980-1988The perfect thing for Ayatollah KhomeiniWar = National UnityProvoked by Saddam Hussein of IraqAllowed the regime to consolidate

power by calling for national unity in the face of a foreign invader

The war became a means to suppress domestic discontent

US supported Saddam and Iraq with billions of dollars of military aide!

Historical Legacy: Iran Iraq War

KEY POINT:Rentier state = non-responsiveness to needs of

citizensIran = Rentier StateTherefore, Iran = non-responsive to needs of

citizensOil as made Iran dependent on the price of oil

for the bulk of its budgetRentier State: countries that can sustain

themselves independently of social pressures and powerful interest groups

Oil Curse…creates lack of broad based industrialization

Historical Legacy: Legacy of Oil Wealth: A Rentier State

Economic policymakingOne of the most contentious topics

Post-revolution favored state-centered approach

The late 1980s liberal approach: private sector and market mechanisms

Mixed resultsLed to hardship and therefore faced

oppositionKhatami’s efforts limited due to economic

foundations’ and parastatal organizations’ autonomous and privileged access to resources and markets.

Policy Formulation

Spreading progress and prosperityTried to help the poor…indifferent

to upper middle classState educational system

astonishingly goodScience and literacy

Birth control…free and widely distributed

Health care…adequate Roads and the provision of basic

services

Policy Outcomes

Alcohol consumption banned except for the non-Muslim minorities

Veiling enforced in public spacesState committed in theory to the minimizing contact

between unrelated men and womenReligious content of education is vastly expandedGruesome physical punishment to chastise adulterers,

homosexuals, and other offenders of religious moralityOutwardly a success; but underneath the surface –

bootlegging, prostitution (driven by poverty), over 2 million Iranians are drug addicts, corruption

Religious practice has become more privateAnticlericalism

Policy Outcomes: Islamicization of Society

Under the ShahU.S. an ally

Revolution seen on par with Russian and Chinese revolutions

Vanguards of vast revolutionary wave1990s “national interest” over export of the

revolution, but disagreement over what is a national interest

Third WorldistDesire to escape the hegemony of Western

worldThree concentric circles against “world

arrogance” (Third World, Muslim world, Shiites)

“Neither East nor West”, but more EastMain issue confronting current Iranian diplomacy

is the nuclear program.

Policy Outcomes: Foreign Policy

System levelIranian nationalism/ancient PersiaVanguard of the Islamic world’s

struggle against Western domination

Recently, ethnic nationalism has become stronger among Iran’s non-Persian populations

“Right” to develop nuclear energyGovernment used this issue to shore

up their legitimacy.

Political Culture

Policy levelOil- Iranians have tended to expect the

state to provide welfare and material well-being for everybody and alleviate the gap between rich and poor.

CorruptionSuspicion of private enterprise and

industryPopulism = anti-large scale economic

activities

Political Culture