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