1. Iran: Government Institutions AP Comparative Government

2. General  Iran is a highly centralized unitary state  There are some provincial, district, and local governments, but they have very little power  The blending of Theocratic and democratic ideas lead to a complex system of government

3. Jurist’s Guardianship  The supreme leader, the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Religious Experts and the Expediency Council do not fit into the three-branch model of government set forth by the Iranian Constitution  All four agencies have broad executive, legislative, and judicial powers that allow them to supersede all other positions and bodies within the government  According to Ayatollah Khomeini, each office has all-encompassing authority over the whole community based upon the understanding of the sharia and their commitment to support the rights of the people  This is known as jurist’s guardianship

4. The Supreme Leader  Based upon the Constitution of 1979 (amended in 1989), Ayatollah Khomeini was given the role of Supreme Leader until his death  After his death, his authority was to pass to a leadership council of two or three senior clerics  This did not happen and Ali Khamenei was appointed for life to be the Supreme Leader of Iran  The Supreme Leader is given many powers  He is the faqih: The Islamic jurist who is to interpret the meaning of religious documents and sharia  He links the three branches of government together  He is also to determine the interests of Islam

5. Supreme Leader  Powers of the Supreme Leader include:  Elimination of presidential candidates  Dismissal of the president  Command of the armed forces  Declaration of war and peace  Appointment and removal of major administrators and judges  Nomination of six members of the Guardian Council  Appointment of non-governmental directors  Radio-televisions, semi-public foundations  The Supreme leader holds ultimate power in the government  This is despite being considered only the head of state

6. Guardian Council  This Guardian Council represents the theocratic principles of Iran  The Council is made up of twelve male clerics  6 members are appointed directly by the Supreme Leader and the final 6 members are appointed by the chief judge and confirmed by the Majles  It is the job of the council to verify that laws passed by the Majles conform to sharia law  They also have the power to determine who can run in elections  Along with the supreme leader the Council exercises the principle of jurist’s guardianship  This is the enforcement of Islamic beliefs and laws amongst all democratic bodies

7. The Assembly of Religious Experts  The Assembly is directly elected by the people every four years and is composed of 86 men  They have the power, along with the Council and Supreme Leader, to interpret the Constitution  The Assembly was responsible for electing Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader  They also gave themselves the authority to dismiss Khamenei if he did not fill the shoes of Khomeini  All members are subject to approval by the Guardian Council  It was once required that all members have a seminary degree  Opposition leader Hashemi Rafsanjani was picked as the leader of the Assembly in 2007, but was forced to step down in 2011

8. The Expediency Council  The Expediency Council was designed by Khomeini to mediate disputes between the Majles and the Guardian Council  It currently has 32 members and now has the power to originate its own legislation  All members are appointed by the Supreme Leader  Members of the Expediency Council are largely considered to be the most powerful men in the country

9. The Executive  The president of Iran does not have the same authorities the U.S., Mexico, and Nigeria  The president is the highest elected office and functions as the head of government  The president is elected every four years by Iranian citizens  The president is limited to two consecutive terms in office

10. The Executive  The president of Iran is still required to be a pious Shiite who upholds Islamic principles  Presidential powers include:  Devising the budget  Supervising economic matters  Proposing legislation to the Majles  Executing policies  Signing of treaties, laws, and agreements  Chairing the National Security Council  Selecting vice presidents and cabinet ministers  Appointing provincial governors, town mayors, and ambassadors

11. The Executive  The cabinet conducts the real work governing the people  Almost all new laws and budget are put together by the cabinet  Ahmadinejad and Khameni generally supported each other but at the end of Ahmadinejad’s presidency, the to had started to compete with each other  They rarely disagreed on policy, but they struggled to distinguish who has the most authority to run the government

12. Bureaucracy/S emipublic Institutions  The bureaucracy has doubled since 1979 and is dominated by religious interests  The ministries of Intelligence, Interior, Justice, and Cultural and Islamic Guidance are run by clerics and other posts are dominated by their relatives  Semipublic Institutions are theoretically autonomous but they are directed and appoints personally picked by the Supreme Leader  They are tax exempt and generate a large portion of income for the government  Because the companies are run by those with such strong ties to the government, they are often referred to as para-statals, or bonyads  These organizations are plagued by inefficiency and corruption and are widely criticized for unfairly competing with private companies

13. The Legislature (The Majles)  The Majles is a unicameral legislature  The Majles has significant powers that allow them to:  Enact or change laws (with the approval of the Guardian Council)  Interpreting legislation, as long as they do not contradict judicial authorities  Appointing six of the twelve members of the Guardian Council, chosen from a list presented by the chief judge  Investigating the cabinet ministers and public complaints against the executive and judiciary  Removing cabinet members, but not the president  Approving the budget, cabinet appointments, treaties, and loans  The Majles has 290 seats and all are directly elected through single members districts

14. The Judiciary  The judiciary is headed by a chief justice with an understanding of sharia (which means he is a cleric)  The chief justice is appointed by the supreme leader for a five year term  He is also responsible for managing the judiciary and overseeing the appointment and removal of judges  The Supreme Court is beneath the chief justice but is the highest court of appeals  All justices are high-ranking clerics who are familiar with sharia

15. The Judiciary  There are two types of law in Iran sharia and qanun  In all cases the Guardian Council has the final say in the interpretation of law  Sharia law (Islamic law)  This is the foundation for all Islamic civilization and its authority is supposed to go beyond Iran’s borders  These rules are supposed to be the essence of Muhammad himself  Sharia is meant to embody a vision of a community in which all Muslims are brothers and sisters and subscribe to the same moral values  In Iran the idea of sharia is supposed to supersede all other law and it is the job of all politicians to support sharia  Qanun  There is no sacred basis with Qanun  Qanun are laws passed by the Majles and can not contradict sharia  While judicial review does exist in Iran, it is to uphold sharia not the constitution

16. The Judiciary  The Sharia is interpreted very strictly  Demanding blood money is legal and the death penalty is used to punish offenses like adultery, homosexuality, drug dealing, and alcoholism  It also sets up unequal treatment between men and women, and Muslims and non-Muslims

17. The Military  The Revolutionary Guards were established after the 1979 Revolution  The Revolutionary Guards were designed to stop the military from trying to take over the government and are commanded by the supreme leader  The regular army is supposed to defend the borders while the Revolutionary Guards protect the republic