1. By: Brandon Solis Jake Brassil Dimitri Gomez
Iran
By: Brandon Solis
Jake Brassil
Dimitri Gomez

2. Iranian Government
The Iranian government is considered to be a highly centralized, unitary form of government.
The country is divided into provinces, districts and sub-districts.
The Constitution of 1979 has provisions for local elections of governors and councils for each division of government.
The local elections are very important for public opinion. Because of the fact that elections at the national level do not always reflect the will of the people, the only way to find out how the general populous actually feels about someone or policy is through voting behavior at the local level. 2

3. Ethnicity 51% are Persian 24% are Azeri 8% are Gilaki and Mazandarani
7% are Kurds
3% are Arabic
The Kurds and the Arabic are primarily Sunni. Most of the Azeri live in the region close to Azerbaijan. This causes some tension within the Iranian government because the Azeri might want to unite their region of Iran with Azerbaijan.

4. Religion 89% of Iranians are Shiite Muslims 10% are Sunni Muslims
1% are a combination of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrianism, and Baha’i
The constitution does not mention Sunni’s and so the status of their legal position within the nation is unknown. The constitution recognizes the rights of religious minorities, though many of the minorities have fled since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The Baha’i faith is considered an unholy offshoot of Islam, and so they have been persecuted by Iranian government.

5. Social Class
The peasantry and the lower middle class tend to support the Iranian government.
Upper middle class and upper class are largely secularized
The peasantry and lower middle class benefited from government social programs, as in the providing of electricity and paved roads.
The upper middle class and upper class have suffered economically under the Iranian government, and are also critical of the Clerics.

6. Political Culture Authoritarian (not totalitarian)
Union of political and religious authority
Shi’ism and Sharia law
Leaders claim to be all powerful, but do not engage in the affairs of the citizens of the state.

7. Legitimacy of the Modern State
Revolution of 1979
Legitimacy attached to principles of Shi’ism.
Constitution of 1979
Amended in 1989
Some amendments included the increasing of the Assembly of Experts to 86 members and the ability of the Assembly of Experts to judge the status of the Supreme Leader.

8. Executive Branch
The Iranian government has a very convoluted structure.
The Executive branch is dual on paper but singular in practice.
The executive branch of the government consists of the president and the cabinet.
The president of Iran does not have the same authorities that the presidents of other countries do.
The executive branch of the government technically only consists of the president and the cabinet. There are other parts of the government that have executive powers, such as the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council which will be mentioned after the president. 8

9. The President and the Cabinet
President functions as the head of government
The president is directly elected every four years and is limited to two consecutive terms in office
The president must be a
pious Shiite.
Although it may seem like the president is the head of government, the Supreme Leader really has all of the power when it comes to decision making.

10. The President and the Cabinet
The President’s powers include:
Devising the budget
Proposing legislation to the Majles
Executing policies
Signing treaties and laws
Selecting the cabinet members.
The president seems like he is an important figure, and when dealing with other nations he is. The president can address the United Nations and deals with foreign affairs. However, the president’s policies need to be in line with the Supreme Leader’s or he will be removed from office. 10

11. The President and the Cabinet
The cabinet in Iran functions much like other cabinet members in other nations.
The cabinet conducts the government on the day to day business.
Almost all the new laws and new budget proposals are done by the cabinet.
These laws and budgets are submitted to parliament for approval, rejection, or modification.
The cabinet in Iran is very similar to cabinets in other countries. They administer the day to day activities of the government and they write legislation. 11

12. The Supreme Leader
The original supreme leader who led the Iranian revolution in 1979 was Ayatollah Khomeini
The original constitution appointed him for life.
After his death 3 clerics were supposed to replace him, but the constitution was amended and a second supreme leader was chosen.
The supreme leader is the true head of the government and its operations. The Iranian government puts a lot of stress on Islamic law and the supreme leader makes sure the country operates according to the sharia. 12

13. The Supreme Leader The new supreme leader is Ayatollah Khamenei.
He has not been removed from office by the Assembly of Religious Experts who have the authority to do so.
The powers of the supreme leader are vast:
Elimination of presidential candidates
Dismissal of the president
Command of the armed forces
Declaration of war and peace
Nomination of six members of the Guardian Council
Here we can see just how powerful the supreme leader is in Iran. The supreme leader essentially chooses the president by eliminating other candidates. Also, having the ability to appoint six of the members of the Guardian Council is a big deal because of the power the Guardian Council has. 13

14. The Assembly of Religious Experts
In 1989 the smaller assembly was expanded to an 86-man house.
They chose the replacement supreme leader.
Their job, along with the Guardian Council is board constitutional interpretation.
This assembly also has a lot of power in its ability to choose the supreme leader.
The assembly has a lot of overlap with the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader. The assemblies power comes from the fact that it can dismiss the supreme leader and appoint a new one. 14

15. The Legislature The legislation consists of two houses.
The upper house is the Guardian Council.
The Guardian Council consists of 12 clerics who review what the lower house passes to make sure it corresponds with Islamic law.
The Guardian Council vets candidates for the Majles, or lower house.
The Majles function like a normal legislature would, passing laws and investigating complaints against the executive.
The Guardian Council functions as the upper house and has a tremendous amount of sway over the Majles. The Majles functions like a regular legislation would when compared with other nations. 15

16. Political Parties
The Islamic Republican Party was Iran's sole political party until its dissolution in 1987
Reformers v. Conservatives
Political Parties are a relatively new idea
Unstable
Conservative dominated
Any reformist threats are immediately opposed with violence
The Constitution provides for political parties but the government did not allow them until Muhammad Khatami’s election as president in Since that time period, multiple parties have formed, with most of them organized around personalities. Current parties are highly unstable and very likely to change in the near future. The parties usually operate in loose alignments within two main coalitions: conservative and reformist. The Conservatives want to maintain the current regime under the control of clerics and sharia law. Reformers, on the other hand, would like to see more secularization and democracy.

17. Conservatives Islamic Society of Engineers
Combatant Clergy Association
Islamic Coalition Party
Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists
Moderation and Development Party
Coalition of Iran’s Independent Volunteers
Iranian Nation’s Welfare Party
All parties are fluid and weak as they are centered more on personalities than actual platforms. Most of the conservative groups share very similar in ideologies with the only major differences being that some are more extremist than others. Conservatives believe that the Supreme Leader is holy and should not be criticized by anyone. Reformists are strongly opposed to this view and say he can make political mistakes just like others politicians. Some on the right claim there is no democracy in Islam as such a principal is fundamentally against Islamic thoughts. In effect in Islam the views of the people are not important, and Islamic Law is the only basis for governing society. Conservatives also believe that freedoms are privileges that the government gives to the people.

18. Reformists Islamic Iran Participation Front National Trust Party
Organization of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution
Executives of the Construction Party
Association of Combatant Clerics
Society of Forces Following the Line of Imam
Islamic Labour Party
Iran Solidarity Party
Youth Party of Iran
Freedom Party of Iran
Most of the Reformists groups in Iran are illegal but simply tolerated. The high level of corruption has caused an unfair advantage for the Conservative Party in that the Reformists basically have no chance of being a majority. Reformists view freedom as the natural right of people and they also believe that the rights of the Supreme Leader are limited by the Constitution. Contrary to the Conservatives, the Reformists consider the democratic vote of the people as the only means of governing society and Islam is the religion of freedom and democracy, otherwise the government is not an Islamic one.

19. Judiciary Headed by “Mujtahid” appointed by the Supreme Leader
This Chief of the Judiciary system appoints the Chief Prosecutor General as well as the head of the Supreme Court.
Public Courts, Clerical Courts and Revolutionary Courts
The Mujtahid is scholar in Islamic Law that has a sense of judgment and is capable of ruling on legal matters through independent interpretation of Islamic legal sources. He is responsible for the formation of the organizational structure of the total judicial system in Iran, reporting to Parliament on required amendments to the Law and overseeing the smooth functioning of Iran’s different courts. This Chief of the judicial system in Iran is also responsible for recruiting judges for different courts and further awarding them promotions or demotions depending on their performance. Judges can only be dismissed following assessment by a set committee. Public courts deal with civil and criminal cases. "Revolutionary" courts try certain categories of extreme offenses. Decisions rendered in revolutionary courts are final and cannot be appealed. The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics

20. Judicial System Sharia and Qanun Judicial review does exist
Constitution considers judicial system and independent and autonomous branch of the government.
Capital punishment is used.
Unequal legal treatment for men and women.
Sharia is the foundation to all Islamic civiliaztion. The Iranian Judiciary is centered upon the idea that Islamic law supersedes all other types of law and its interpretation is the most essential duty of judicial leaders. The legitimacy of the supreme leader is based on his authority to interpret the sacred law. The Qanun is a body of statues made by legislature, with no sacred basis. It is created by the people’s elected representatives and in no way contradicts the Sharia. Judical review exists but legal authority does not rest on the Constitution, rather, on the sharia.. Since Sharia is extremely intricate its interpretation can be applied through numerous ways. Since the law is derived from a Sacred Islamic texts, homosexuality and apostasy are major crimes that can be punishable by death.

21. Women in the Political System
The treatment of women in Iran is more acceptable to Iranian women than to Westerners.
Women are placed on a lower social status than men according to Sharia law.
“Equality with difference” policy permits the law to slant more favorably towards men than women concerning custody and divorce.
Women are permitted to attain an education, and more occupations are being opened for female employees.
Women must wear scarves and long coats in public. Women cannot leave country without consent from male relatives.
Women are occasionally stoned when they commit adultery. Half of college students in Iran are female. 27% of the labor force in Iran is female

22. Linkage Institutions Political Parties Elections Interest Groups
Mass Media

23. Elections Citizens over 15 may vote.
National elections held for the following:
Assembly of Religious Experts
Representative to the Majlis
President
Majlis and Presidential elections are based on a plurality system.

24. Interest Groups
It is difficult to distinguish between parties and interest groups in Iran.
Interest Groups:
Islamic Association of Women
Green Coalition
Workers’ House
The political party that correlates with the Workers’ House is the Islamic Labour Party. The Workers’ House holds a May Day rally each year, which turned into a protest in 1999 against several conservative policies that aimed to water-down labor laws.

25. Mass Media
During and shortly after Iranian Revolution of 1979, 27 newspapers in total were abolished.
In 1981 government passed a law making it illegal to use “pen and speech” against the state.
Some restrictions have been lifted
Freedom of Press still a major issue between conservatives and reformists
Radio & TV are government owned and operated.
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)
Some lifter restrictions:
Rafsanjani government permitted the press to engage in political debate on some controversial issues.
The Khatami administration issued permits to new publications in attempt to establish an independent press.
Many newspapers and magazines are now privately owned.
Freedom of Press issues:
In 2002, some 60 pro-reform newspapers were shut down.
Iran’s elite are well-educated, and private media cater to their needs and interests

26. The Bureaucracy
The Bureaucracy acts like it would in any other country.
There is no particular name for the bureaucracy overall but several new ministries have formed.
The intelligence serves as a security administration, Culture and Islamic Guidance censures the media, Heavy Industry manages the nationalized factories.
The clergy dominate the bureaucracy.

27. The Military
The Revolutionary Guards was created after the revolution by the supreme leader.
This is an elite military force whose commanders are appointed by the supreme leader.
The revolutionary guard protects the republic against abuses by the military.
A regular military exists to protect the borders and is also led by the supreme leader.
The only real difference between the military in Iran and militaries elsewhere is the Revolutionary Guard, which has its own budget and is established to work within the borders to protect what the revolution of 1979 created. Also the president is not the commander in chief the supreme leader is. 27

28. Bibliography

29. Bibliography http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm