Iran Political Institutions. Blake Holmes

Transcription

1 Iran Political Institutions Blake Holmes

2 Government Layout - Two different branches - Theocracy - Supreme leader - Guardian Council - Expediency council - Jurist s Guardianship - Created by Ayatollah Khomeini - Leaders possess authority over the community because of their understanding of sharia - Democratic institutions - Maljes - President - Assembly of Religious experts

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4 Political Parties - The constitution makes political parties legal, but the government did not allow any until the presidential election of Political parties are not based on ideology - Members get behind a specific candidate for an election, if the person doesn t get elected, party falls apart - Parties do not have much power in Iran - Leaders of parties are often exiled after failed movements - Islamic Coalition Party - Founded in 1962, this is one of Iran s oldest parties - Conservative

5 Supreme Leader - This position was established by the constitution after the Iranian Revolution (1979) - Life appointment - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was the original Supreme Leader - Died in 1989, his followers changed the constitution to appoint a new SL - Ali Khamenei was chosen for this position, still supreme leader today - Receives legitimacy from Jurist s Guardianship

6 Supreme Leader (Cont.) - Powers of Supreme Leader - Elimination of presidential candidates - Dismissal of president - Command of the military - Can declare war - Appoints majors judges and administrators - Nominates six members to Guardian Council - Appoints some leaders of NGOs

7 Guardian Council - Consists of 12 male clerics - 6 are nominated by the chief judge and approved by the Maljes (legislature) - 6 are appointed by the supreme leader - Powers - Reviews bills passed by the Maljes, ensure that they conform to sharia - Can prevent certain candidates from running if not in accordance with sharia - Also receives power from Jurist s Guardianship

8 Expediency Council - Officially established by a constitutional amendment in Consists of 39 members - Appointed every 5 years by the supreme leader - Original purpose was to mediate disputes between the Majles and the Guardian council - Its power has greatly expanded, consists of most powerful men in Iran - Has broad power over all branches of government - Can draft its own legislation - Provides consultation for the supreme leader

9 Electoral System - Parliament (Majles) - Single member districts - Presidential elections - Candidates must be approved - If majority is not achieved, two candidates with most votes compete in runoff - Universal suffrage, all over 18 can vote - Citizens can vote in local elections as well as national

10 Majles - This is the main legislative body of Iran - Consists of 290 directly elected members - Serve 4 year terms - Powers - Crafting laws - Interpreting legislation - Investigating cabinet members - Removing cabinet members - Approving budget, cabinet appointments, treaties, etc.

11 President - Head of government - Directly elected - Current president - Hassan Rouhani - Powers - Drafting the budget, supervising economy, appointing cabinet members, proposing legislation to Majles, signing treaties, chairing the National Security Council, appointing provincial governors

12 Assembly of Religious Experts - Religious legislature - Consists of 86 members - The members are directly elected - Serve 8 year terms - Members must be approved by Guardian Council - Powers - Interpret the constitution - Dismissal of the supreme leader

13 Judiciary - Sharia is very important in the judicial system - Head of Judiciary - Appointed by the supreme leader - Highest ranking official in the judiciary branch - Serves a five year term - Appoints and dismisses lower-level judges - Supreme court is the next level down - Judges uphold sharia law - Judicial review exists in Iran - Authority based in sharia and Jurist s Guardianship

14 Military - Iranian military consists of two separate forces - The national military - Protects country from foreign threats - Revolutionary Guards - Established by Ayatollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution - Elite, powerful force that was created to protect the republic from itself - Leaders of this group are appointed by the supreme leader - Secretive, takes a role in policymaking and the nuclear program

15 Lower-Level Governments - Iran consists of 31 provinces - Each province has its own government with a capital in the largest city in that province - Lead by a Governor-General, appointed by the Minister of the Interior and approved by the cabinet - Sub-districts and local governments exist within provinces - Each level contains some elected officials

16 Bureaucracy - Since the revolution, there has been an increase in public employment - Government controls over 60% of economy - Iran has a large, inefficient bureaucracy - Often made a political issue in campaigns - Iranians are often frustrated with the amount of paperwork needed for simple actions - Civil servants are typically poorly educated and inexperienced - Elite recruitment - Clerics are often chosen for important positions - Family ties are important in getting into government

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