The Islamic Republic of Iran Political Institutions

Presentation Outline II. Political Institutions a)The Parallel Structure b)The Executive Branch c)The Legislative Branch d)The Judicial Branch e)The Bonyads f)The Basij g)The Party System h)The Electoral System

II. a) The Parallel Structure President, Majles, and Assembly of Religious Experts are all directly elected by Iranian citizens The theocratic or religious government has more power than the secular government Influences (vetoes, dismisses Appoints or confirms elects

For further inquiry into Iran`s political structure see:

II. b) The Executive Branch The Supreme Leader (Head of State) The President (Head of Government) sident.stm For further inquiry into Iran`s political structure see:

The Supreme Leader Head of State Elected by the Assembly of Religious Experts for life Can dismiss the President Appoints both the Expediency and Guardian Council Commander-in-chief of the armed forces Spiritual head of the state In what way does the above picture reflect the power disparity between the Supreme Leader and the President Left: President Ahmadinejad Right: Supreme Leader Khameinei

Ayatollah Khomeini Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei Supreme Leader, 1989-present Led the Islamic revolution Charismatic leader Established theocratic regime Led Iran in its war against Iraq Established Basij and Revolutionary Guard Oversaw constitutional reforms allowing the formation of political parties and extending the suffrage to women Supports Iran`s nuclear ambitions

The President Head of Government Directly elected by citizens Limited to two 4 year terms Appoints the Council of Ministers Administers the government and economy but does not fully control foreign policy Can theoretically be dismissed by the Supreme Leader Compared with the Russian and Mexican Presidents, why is the Iranian President relatively weaker

The constitutional amendments of 1989 eliminated the post of prime minister. Prior to 1989 the head of government was shared by a president and a prime minister Akbar RafsanjaniMohammad KhatamiMahmoud Ahmadinejad Iranian Presidents since 1989

II. c) The Legislative Branch The Majles- democratic function The Guardian Council The Expediency Council Assembly of Religious Experts Theocratic functions

The Majles Directly elected every 4 years 290 seats Based on representation by population 5 seats are allocated to non-Muslim minorities (Jews, Assyrians, Zoroastrians, and Armenians) Makes and amends legislation Must be qualified by the Guardian Council Can impeach the president with a supermajority (66%+) Many political scientists consider the Majles a rubber stamp legislature Is it fair to call Iran`s Majles a rubber stamp legislature. How does it compare to China`s National People`s Congress (NPC) in this regard

The Guardian Council 12 members 6 appointed by the Majles 6 appointed by the Supreme Leader Vets and approves candidates for elected offices Can disqualify candidates from elections- this ensures that few reformists get elected Ensures that legislation passed by the Majles conforms to Islamic law Can veto legislation passed by the Majles

The Expediency Council Appointed by the Supreme Leader 31 members Responsible for resolving differences between the Majles and Guardian Council Established in 1988

The Religious Assembly of Experts Directly elected every 8 years Responsible for electing and supervising the activities of the Supreme Leader Can theoretically dismiss the Supreme Leader In theory, represents a check on the Supreme Leader`s power; in practice, does not challenged the Supreme Leader

II. d) The Judicial Branch There is no judicial review (in the democratic sense) The regime established a legal code in1979 which based civil and criminal law on sharia (Islamic) law The judiciary operates under the principle of jurist guardianship (Vali-ye faqih); senior clerics are privileged with the responsibility of interpreting sharia law

The Guardian Council has both a legislative and judicial role; its judicial role is to ensure the laws passed by the Majles conform to Islamic law Similarly, the Assembly of Religious Experts plays a judicial role in advising the Supreme Leader on constitutional issues and legal matters related to sharia law There are various levels of courts. Ultimately, senior clerics and the Supreme Leader have the final say over judicial matters. Iran uses an inquisitorial rather than an adversarial legal system; judges have considerably more power, and prosecutors and lawyers are largely irrelevant compared with the American or British models of justice.

Examples of criminal offenses under sharia law Homosexuality Adultery Blasphemy Alcohol consumption Depending on the context in which the offense was committed a person convicted of any of the above offenses could face sentences ranging from corporal punishment, to several years in prison, to the death penalty Are these considered criminal offenses in liberal democracies, why or why not?

II. e) The bonyads Charitable trusts and foundations established by clerics after the 1979 revolution Major part of Iran’s non-petroleum economy Constitutes approximately 20% of Iran’s GDP Receives huge government subsidies Exempt from taxes

Criticisms of bonyads Originally established to provide social welfare to Iran’s poor Since Khomeini’s death in 1989 mostly engaged in commercial industries: textiles soft drinks auto-manufacturing Source of patronage and corruption; some clerics have grown wealthy through managing various bonyads

II. f) The Basij Volunteer paramilitary unit composed primarily of young men, but also women and teenaged boys responsible for enforcing morality laws accused of suppressing dissidents take orders directly from the Supreme Leader and Revolutionary Guard there are approximately 1 million+ members in the Basij receive rewards for services to their patrons: stipends preferential spots at university preferential hiring in government institutions html For further inquiry see:

Above right: Basij members in military formation Above left: Basij members beating opposition supporters during the 2009 Presidential Election The Basij are fiercely loyal to the Supreme Leader, are strong supporters of Ahmadinejad, and defenders of Iran’s theocratic regime.

BasijBasij men beating opposition supporters during the 2009 Presidential Election

II. g) The Party System Iran’s does not have an established party system Political parties were only officially legalized in 1989 Many political parties appear, disappear, only to be reconstituted later What matters in Iran are the various political factions which essentially assume the role of political parties in Iran

ConservativesReformists Staunch supporters of Islamic law Resistant to democratization Generally hostile to the West Less interested in acceptance by the international community Strong support from the Supreme Leader and clerics Favour more democratization More open to better relations with the West Interested in acceptance by the international community Weak support from the Supreme Leader Strong support from the middle classes, young, and more secular groups There are two main factions in Iran’s political system. In practice, however, there are many factions, or factions within factions. RafsanjaniAhmadinejad KhatamiMousavi Larijani

The Supreme Leader is the head of Iran’s state, but power relationships in Iran are complex, with various factions influencing the Supreme Leader.

The Conservative faction currently dominates the Majles with a supermajority

II. h) The Electoral System Three direct elections 1) Assembly of Religious Experts 2) Majles 3) Presidential

Assembly of Religious Experts 86 total seats Based on representation by population Iran is divided into 27 constituencies/regions Regions with greater populations such as Tehran have many seats in the Assembly (16) Voters choose from a list of candidates The top vote getters in the constituency receive the allocated seats A simple plurality is needed The top 16 candidates in Tehran got seats in the Assembly:

Majles Elections 5/290 seats are allocated to minorities 285/290 are contested in the general election Iran uses SMD (single member districts) Candidates must receive at least 25% of the vote in the district to win the seat Failure to reach the 25% threshold results in a second round of voting with the top two candidates advancing

Presidential Elections Directly elected in a state wide vote Must receive an absolute majority (50%+) to be elected A second round or run-off election is needed if no candidate can secure an absolute majority in the first round. What other state that we studied this year uses this system?

Discussion Questions 1)Why does Iran’s President have much less power than Mexico’s? 2)Although Iran has some democratic elements in its system, why do political scientists consider Iran and authoritarian system, rather than an illiberal democracy like Russia? 3)In what respect has the regime created institutions that ensure its survival?