AP Comparative Government 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 ID: 240119
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Slide1
Iran: Government Institutions
AP Comparative GovernmentSlide2
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 governmentSlide3
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 guardianshipSlide4
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 IslamSlide5
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 stateSlide6
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 bodiesSlide7
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 2011Slide8
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 countrySlide9
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 officeSlide10
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 ambassadorsSlide11
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 governmentSlide12
Bureaucracy/Semipublic 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 companiesSlide13
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 districtsSlide14
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 shariaSlide15
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 constitutionSlide16
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-MuslimsSlide17
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