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Supreme Leader (Grand
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)
The Supreme Leader is elected for life by the
Assembly of Experts and has the highest
ranking political and religious authority in
Iran. The Supreme Leader is also the
commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
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Guardian Council
Second in power to the Supreme Leader, the
12-member Guardian Council is charged
with interpreting the constitution in accordance
with Islam and reviewing and approving or
vetoing bills submitted by the Majles
(parliament). It also vets candidates running
for seats in the Assembly of Experts and
the Presidency.
Six of the Council Guardian Council members are
senior Islamic clerics named by the Supreme
Leader. The other six are lawyers nominated by
the judiciary and confirmed by the Majlis to
serve 6 year terms.
The Guardian Council is currently controlled by
hard line conservatives headed by Ayatollah
Ahmad Jannati.
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Assembly of Experts
Members of the 86-member Assembly of Experts
are elected by popular vote to serve 8 year
terms. The Assembly of Experts chooses and
monitors the activities of the Supreme Leader.
Members must be experts in Islamic law in order
to be able to ensure that the Supreme Leader
does not violate Islamic rules and is complying
with his duties according to the Constitution.
The last elections for the Assembly of Experts
were held on December 15, 2006. Notably, Ali
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (who had run and lost
the presidential election to Ah madinejad)
garnered more votes than the candidate endorsed
by Ahmadinejad, the hard line Ayatollah Mesbah
Yazdi.
Assembly of Experts candidates are vetted by the
Guardian Council.
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President (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)
The President of Iran is elected in a national
election by universal suffrage for a four-year
term. Candidates must be approved by the
12-member religious Council of Guardians before
running (in 2005 only seven out of more than
1000 initial candidates were allowed to run).
The Presidents duties include:
1) Nominating members of government to the
Majlis
3) Selecting governmental policies to be placed
before the Majlis (legislature)
3) Signing or vetoing bills presented by the
parliament. (A bill cannot become a law without
the President's signature).
4) Appointing the secretary of the national
security council.
5) Appointing and supervising the Council of
Ministers.
6) Appointing provincial governors and
international ambassadors to the Islamic
Republic
*The President does not head the armed forces
buy may command the military if given permission
by the Supreme Leader.
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Majlis
Iran's legislature.
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