Political Analysis of Iran, Essay Example

At the heart of the Iranian government lies a political structure that is quite unique in its implementation, effectiveness and distribution of power.  The Islamic Revolution of 1979 saw the end of the previous governmental system only to be replaced by the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini (“Iran Political Structure”).   Through his leadership, a new Islamic Republic was founded that created a power system that carefully created a leadership structure unlike any other.  The current system was amended in 1989, which had an impact on how political parties were formulated and how voting power was granted and counted within the confines of the original Islamic Republic (“Iran”).  The system is separated by three branches – legislative, executive and judicial.  At the head of the entire governmental structure is a leadership format that provides decision-making and governmental power through elected officials and appointed officials.

The electorate directly elects the President, Parliament and Assembly of Experts to power.  When in office, the President is provided the power to appoint his own cabinet of advisors but the appointments must be approved by Parliament.  The President also determines the appointed mayors of the 30 independent provinces throughout Iran to provide localized governmental leadership (“Iran Political Structure”).  Furthermore, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for appointing the Supreme Leader to power.  “The Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appoints the head of the judiciary, six of the members of the powerful Guardian Council, the commanders of all the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders and the head of radio and TV” (“Iran: Who Holds The Power?”).  This element of leadership shows a combination of a dictatorial republic with the electoral power granted to the people through a democratic style of government.  It is through this combination of power that has seen much struggle over the Guardian Council.  The guardian council is provided the power to oversee both sides of the government and has veto power over all of the decisions and bills passed by parliament (“Iran Political Structure”).  Several liberal reformists have attempted to change this power for the Guardian Council by choosing to remove or greatly limit the body’s veto power and leave decisions solely to the elected parliamentary body of the legislative branch.  The Guardian Council is comprised of six theologians that are appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists that have been appointed by the judiciary that must be approved by Parliament (“Iran: Who Holds the Power?”).  Through these various processes, the Iranian government provides an inherent checks and balances system that promotes democratic thinking while maintaining the conservative ideas of the Iranian Revolution that have limited power and liberalism for decades.

Perhaps one of the greatest sources of tension in the Iranian Republic surrounds the ideals and power struggle between the elected President and the appointed Supreme Leader.  Often, “periodic tension between the office of the Leader and the office of the president has often been the source of political instability” (“Iran: Who Holds the Power?”).  During former reformist president Mohammad Khatami’s term in political office, this tension was emphasized by a continuous conflict with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.  At the root of this conflict, the reformist democratic ideals of President Khatami conflicted with Ayatollah Khamenei’s conservative religious views that are a constant source of political, social and ideological conflict and debate in Iran (“Iran: Who Holds the Power?”).  Furthermore, the Supreme Leader is responsible for overseeing the actions of the armed forces and has direct control over the government’s foreign policy.  The elected President is often viewed as the source of these decisions in many republics throughout the world, but this shows the unique power struggles that exist and may often cause internal political struggles between officials of the Iranian government.  Throughout most of its recent history post-Iranian Revolution, the new government has seen continued victory of the conservatives within political parties and elections.

The Parties Article 10 Commission in Iran is the governing body responsible for granting license to political groups that seek to be recognized as a legitimate political party under the political system Iran.  According to current record, there are roughly 110 political parties in Iran that have received an official license; whereby, in the recent decade there have been 16 newly-established parties that have either applied for license or have already been awarded a license by the Parties Article 10 Commission (“List”).  According to the Khorassan Daily, there were five political parties to apply for and receive licenses for official party status in the initial year of the new licensing program in Iran (“List”).  These parties consisted of the IR of Iran Women Society, the Militant Clerics League, the Islam Devotees Society, the Muslim Artists & Writers Center and the Tabriz Militant Clergy Association.  The first four political parties were awarded official status and licensing on July 2, 1989 while the Tabriz Militant Clergy Association received its legal party licensing one month later on August 8, 1989 (“List”).  This licensing system and the names of the original political parties emphasizes the political culture within Iran.  Clearly the government wishes to grant recognition only to socially, economically and culturally-acceptable organizations.  While the parties may appear to be liberal in nature for the Middle Eastern society i.e. the IR of Iran Women Society, the government has recognized the importance of all voices to be represented even if they may not always be provided authority and power in the actual political system.

Under this political system, the political behavior of all citizens, political parties, and elected and non-elected officials in power have great influence towards the effectiveness and overall direction of the country’s government.  First of all, the electorate has been provided the greatest power to directly elect the President, Parliament and Assembly of Experts (“Iran Political Structure”).  This power is enforced through universal suffrage or the right to vote, which has been provided to all individuals in Iran that are at least 18-years-old (“Iran”).  The political parties as shown previously operate under idealist or organizational affiliation such as where members work or their religious affiliations.  The parties are mainly responsible for recruiting new members into their licensed body while also trying to put forth viable candidates for presidential, parliamentary and other legislative or executive elections.  However, the Guardian Council oversees all elections and must grant approval before presidential candidates can be named.  In 2005 over 1,000 people were placed in front of the Guardian Council to receive approval for presidential election and the council only approved six individuals (“Iran: Who Holds the Power?”).  The Guardian Council is mostly comprised of mass-conservatives, which is the reason that no woman has ever been granted an opportunity to stand in front of the Guardian Council for approval of an elected office (“Iran: Who Holds the Power?”).  This conflict and the conflict between the Supreme Leader and the elected President place an overall political struggle between conservatives that maintain Iranian Revolution ideals and democratic-based liberals who seek freedom of choice and opportunity in the political system for all individuals.

Works Cited

“Iran.” U.S. Department of State. Web. 29 May 2010. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm>.

“Iran Political Structure, Iran Political System.” Press Visa to Iran, Iran Political Structure, Iran Media Guide. Ivan Sahar Company. Web. 29 May 2010. <http://www.ivansahar.com/iran-political-structure.htm>.

“Iran: Who Holds the Power?” BBC NEWS | News Front Page. British Broadcasting Company. Web. 29 May 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/>.

“List of Legally Registered Parties in Iran.” Khorassan Daily 30 July 2000, No. 14759 ed.: 4. Pars Times. Web. 29 May 2010. <http://www.parstimes.com/politics/legally_registered_parties.html>.