The Governments of the Middle East: IsraelSaudi Arabia Iran SS7CG5 The student will explain the structures of the modern governments of Southwest Asia: a. Compare the parliamentary democracy of the State of Israel, the monarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the theocracy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, distinguishing the form of leadership and the role of the citizen in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms. Standard:

Israel’s Government Form of Government: Unitary Type: Parliamentary Democracy Head Of State: President Head of Government: Prime Minister Type of Legislature: Unicameral Name: The Knesset Rule of Law: The 11 Basic Laws

Israel’s Prime Minister  Current PM: Benjamin Netanyahu  How Elected: Popular vote.  Term Started: March 31, 2009  Political Party: Likud  Duties: Head of the Government; Controls all government affairs.

Israel’s President Current President: Shimon Peres Political Party: Kadima Term Started: July 15, 2007 Length of Term: 1 for 7 Years How Elected: Appointed by the Knesset Duties: Head of State; Mostly ceremonial.

Israel’s Legislature: The Knesset Type: Unicameral; Meaning having one house or chamber. Term: 4 Years Number of Seats: 120 Duties: Enacts laws; Elects the president; Supervises the work of the government; Has power to remove the President and State Comptroller from office; Can dissolve itself and call for new elections.

Elections and Citizens Roles Elections: Nationwide popular vote Frequency: Every four years. Ballot: Voters vote for a party list not a particular person. Who can vote: Every Israeli citizen over the age of 18. Other Citizens Roles: All Israeli citizens over the age of 18 must serve in the National Military. Three years for men and two years for women.

Saudi Arabia’s Government  Form of Government: Unitary  Type: Absolute Monarchy  Head of State: King  Head of Government: King  Legislative Body: King/Council of Ministers/Consultative Council  Rule of Law: Basic Law of Governance and Shari’ah Law also known as Islamic Law

Saudi Arabia’s King Current King: Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud Appointed: August 1, 2005; Upon the death of King Fahad. Term: Lifetime Duties: Ensures the application of the Shari'ah and the State's general policy, and supervises the protection and defense of the nation.

Council of Ministers  Name: Also known as the Cabinet  How elected: Chosen by the King.  Duties: Advises the King and facilitates the country’s development, drafting and overseeing implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, education and defense policies as well as the general affairs of the State.

Consultative Council Name: Majlis al-Shura Number of Seats: 150 How Chosen: Appointed by the King Term: 4 Years Duties: Deal with human rights, education, culture, information, health and social affairs, services and public utilities, foreign affairs, security, administration, Islamic affairs, economy and industry, and finance.

Shari’ah Law and Personal Freedoms Basic Law: Shari’ah Law; it refers to the body of Islamic law. It serves as a guideline for all legal matters in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, there is no difference between the sacred and the secular aspects of society. Muslims derive Shari’ah law primarily from the Holy Qur’an. Personal Freedoms: All personal freedoms are regulated by Shari’ah Law. Voting: Saudi citizens do not vote for their government officials.

Iran’s Government Form: Unitary/Semi-Oligarchic Leaders: Supreme Leader and President Type of Legislature: Unicameral Name: Islamic Consultative Assembly Other: The Guardian Council; The Expediency Council Rule of Law: Shari’ah Law

Iran’s Supreme Leader  Name: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  Assumed Power: June 4, 1989  How Chosen: The Assembly of Experts  Term: Lifetime  Duties: Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations; and has the only power to declare war. The heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Council of Guardians are appointed by the Supreme Leader.

Iran’s President Name: Hassan Rouhani Elected: June 14, 2013; approved August 3, 2013; sworn in August 4, 2013 Method of Appointment: Popular Election Term: 4 Years Duties: Implementation of the Constitution and for the exercise of executive powers, except for matters directly related to the Supreme Leader. The President appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers, coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the legislature.

Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly Name: Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami Seats: 290 Term: 4 Years How Chosen: Popular Election Duties: Drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget.

The Guardian Council  Members: 12  How Chosen: 6 appointed by the Supreme Leader and 6 elected by the Islamic Consultative Assembly  Duties: Interprets the constitution and may reject bills from parliament deemed incompatible with the constitution or Sharia Law.

The Expediency Council Current Membership: 28 How Chosen: Appointed by the Supreme Leader Duties: Has the authority to mediate disputes between Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Council of Guardians, and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader, making it one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.

The Assembly of Experts  Members: 86  Terms: 8 Years  Duties: Elects the Supreme Leader and has the constitutional authority to remove the Supreme Leader from power at any time.

Elections and Personal Freedoms Who Can Vote: Elections are open to all Iranian citizens who are at least 15 years old. Personal Freedoms: Individual freedoms are addressed in the Iranian Constitution which is based on Shari’ah Law.