Monday, March 14, 2005
MORE ON IRAN: continuing this week's focus on iran, today's snippet is on government and politics.
Government: Islamic Republic under Constitution of 1979, with
Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini as faqih (see Glossary)
for life and ultimate decision maker. Executive branch included
elected president, responsible for selecting prime minister and
cabinet, which must be approved by parliament, or Majlis (see
Glossary), elected legislative assembly. Judiciary independent of
both executive and Majlis. Council of Guardians, consisting of six
religious scholars appointed by faqih and six Muslim lawyers approved
by Majlis, ensured conformity of legislation with Islamic law.
Politics: Islamic Republican Party, created in 1979, dissolved in 1987
because its factions made it unmanageable. Iran Freedom Movement, a
nonreligious political party, existed in 1987 but had been intimidated
into silence. Opposition political parties existed in exile abroad:
monarchists, democrats, Kurds, Islamic groups, and Marxists. Regime
stressed mass political participation through religious institutions,
such as mosques, rather than political parties. Factories, schools,
and offices had Islamic associations similar to mosque voluntary
associations. Fervent religious zeal and support for the Revolution
promoted by the Pasdaran (Pasdaran- e Enghelab-e Islami, or Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, or Revolutionary Guards).
Administrative Divisions: Country divided into twenty-four provinces
(ostans), each under a governor general (ostandar); provinces
subdivided into counties (shahrestans), each under a governor
(farmandar). Most administrative officials appointive and answerable
to central Ministry of Interior. In addition, each county had clerical
imam jomeh chosen from among county senior clergy. Imam jomeh served
as representative of faqih.
Foreign Affairs: Policy of Islamic revolutionary government based on
export of Islamic revolution and liberation of Islamic and Third World
countries generally. Other major policy was independence from both
West and East, especially United States, the "Great Satan," and Soviet
Union, the "Lesser Satan." War with Iraq, which began in 1980, had
been very costly in men and matériel. War ended with Iran's acceptance
of a cease- fire in July 1988.
Data as of December 1987
