Government Summary
Iran's current government is a combination of an open democracy and a religious theocracy based on Shiite Islam. The government's ideals rely on church and state being firmly linked. Gregory F. Giles, an American scholar who wrote the pdf. Four Rings of Power, states that the government in Iran has a group of insiders (revolutionaries who are close to the supreme religious leader), and outsiders (secularists, liberal democrats, opponents of the Islamic republic). Insiders are granted much leeway in making government decisions and criticizing those in power, while outsiders are given very little if any at all. While Iran does hold elections that decide many government positions, the country is far less democratic than it appears due to the large amounts of power that theocratic religious leaders hold (Bruno 2008).
Branches of Government
Supreme Leader: The supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran holds the vast majority of the countries power. Whoever holds this position supervises the countries military, judicial system, constitution, and general state policy. The supreme leader is elected by the assembly of experts (Bruno 2008).
Assembly of Experts: The assembly of experts is charges with appointing the supreme leader and monitoring their work. They have the ability to dismiss the supreme leader, but never have done so. The biannual meetings of the assembly of experts are kept a secret from the public who elects them.
President: The president is second in power to the supreme leader. They are elected by the public and are constitutionally mandated to be a Shiite muslim. How much power the president has while in office varies case by case, because they are (unofficially) tied to the political desires of the supreme leader. Presidents such as Abolhassan Banisadr have been impeached for refusing to endorse candidates at the supreme leaders will, and presidential decisions such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's have been overturned by the supreme leader.
Parliament: Also known as the Majilis, Iran's parliament consists of 290 members from all 30 of Iran's districts, five of these seats are reserved for religious minorities. Members of the parliament are elected by the public for a term of four years, but in order to be seated they need approval from the council of guardians, which has barred hundreds of reformist candidates from being seated leaving a large majority of the council as conservatives.
Council of Guardians: The council of guardians is a branch of 12 members, six theological and appointed by the supreme leader and 6 jurists approved by the parliament. Their job is to review parliament members and parliament laws for their consistency with Islamic law. This gives them great power and allows them to stop opposing parties from gaining seats and passing laws.
Expediency Council: The expediency council is a group of clerics, intellectuals, and scholars who resolve disputes between the parliament and the council of guardians.
Supreme Court: The supreme court is Iran's highest judicial body. Its members are chosen by the head judge, who is chosen by the supreme leader. The supreme court sets precedents and serves as the court of appeals.
Special Clerical Court: The special clerical court is overseen by the supreme leader. It is used for trying members of the Shiite clergy and can indict based on "ideological offenses." This court allows the supreme leader to silence many of their regimes critics.
Assembly of Experts: The assembly of experts is charges with appointing the supreme leader and monitoring their work. They have the ability to dismiss the supreme leader, but never have done so. The biannual meetings of the assembly of experts are kept a secret from the public who elects them.
President: The president is second in power to the supreme leader. They are elected by the public and are constitutionally mandated to be a Shiite muslim. How much power the president has while in office varies case by case, because they are (unofficially) tied to the political desires of the supreme leader. Presidents such as Abolhassan Banisadr have been impeached for refusing to endorse candidates at the supreme leaders will, and presidential decisions such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's have been overturned by the supreme leader.
Parliament: Also known as the Majilis, Iran's parliament consists of 290 members from all 30 of Iran's districts, five of these seats are reserved for religious minorities. Members of the parliament are elected by the public for a term of four years, but in order to be seated they need approval from the council of guardians, which has barred hundreds of reformist candidates from being seated leaving a large majority of the council as conservatives.
Council of Guardians: The council of guardians is a branch of 12 members, six theological and appointed by the supreme leader and 6 jurists approved by the parliament. Their job is to review parliament members and parliament laws for their consistency with Islamic law. This gives them great power and allows them to stop opposing parties from gaining seats and passing laws.
Expediency Council: The expediency council is a group of clerics, intellectuals, and scholars who resolve disputes between the parliament and the council of guardians.
Supreme Court: The supreme court is Iran's highest judicial body. Its members are chosen by the head judge, who is chosen by the supreme leader. The supreme court sets precedents and serves as the court of appeals.
Special Clerical Court: The special clerical court is overseen by the supreme leader. It is used for trying members of the Shiite clergy and can indict based on "ideological offenses." This court allows the supreme leader to silence many of their regimes critics.