1. Governments in the Middle East (aka Southwest Asia) Israel Saudi Arabia Iran

2. The Government in Israel Israel has a parliamentary democracy The head of state is the president, who doesn’t actually have much power The prime minister is the true head of government Ehud Olmert is Israel’s Prime Minister President Shimon Peres of Israel These are photos of the Knesset building in Jerusalem, Israel. The Knesset is the legislature of Israel.

3. More about the government in Israel: HOW IT WORKS: – The legislature elects a president – The president chooses the head of the largest political party to be prime minister – The prime minister then puts together a coalition, which is a group of several different political parties that have to cooperate to make decisions – The Israeli legislature is called the Knesset. It holds most of the power in Israel and is made of 120 people. If you are 18 years or older in Israel, you can vote for Knesset members.

4. The Government in Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. The Qur’an is the constitution of Saudi Arabia, specifically the Shari’a Law. The legislature is called the Consultative Council. There are 120 members, and the king chooses two-thirds of them. Each member serve a term of four years. The council meets at the king’s palace….. The founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz, with U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945

5. More about the government in Saudi Arabia Saudi kings are both heads of state and heads of government The king has a cabinet called the Council of Ministers, mostly made of members of the royal family The government is currently changing: in 2004, the king began allowing men 21 years old and older to vote for half of local officials and one-third of the legislature. The current king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah These are photos of the city of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia

6. The Government in Iran In 1979, the Islamic Iranian revolution overthrew the monarchy that had ruled Iran for centuries. Today, The Republic of Iran is an Islamic theocracy. The head of state is a recognized religious authority, or ayatollah. The Shah of Iran and his family in the early 1970s. Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran

7. More about the Government in Iran The Supreme Leader is chosen for life by the Assembly of Experts There are 86 Islamic scholars who make up the Assembly The Assembly is elected by the people The president is also elected by the people. He governs using the religious guidance of the ayatollah Iran’s Legislature is the Consultative Assembly, made of 290 members Citizens of Iran who are 15 years old and older can vote for members of the legislature The current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tehran, capital of Iran The location of the Consultative Assembly, or Legislature, of Iran