Elections, deep-seated arrangements... who rules, what is future of regime in Iran?

Iran .. How is it ruled and who is the actual ruler?

We often hear or read that the Iranian political map is divided into two political currents (conservatives and reformists). On the basis of which Iran's internal and external policy is determined, but this talk disappears in any major situation, as attention immediately turns to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and behind him is the Revolutionary Guards, which raises important questions about the structure of the Iranian regime.

In this three-part file, we will discuss the structure of governance in Iran, how the country ruled, the upcoming and most favorable presidential elections, and the future of the Iranian regime in light of its internal rift and crises.

'Governance Structure in Iran'

The regime in Iran, since the 1979 revolution has been based on a number of ruling institutions with overlapping powers, which are mainly related to the nature of religious rule.

Although some governing bodies and institutions depend on elections, albeit well-thought-out, such as the Shura Council, the Assembly of Experts, and the President of the Republic, the Supreme Leader's powers are the strongest in the country.

'highest authority'

The Supreme Leader, according to the Islamic Republic's system and constitution, has absolute powers that give him the final say in all state affairs, including nuclear policy, the main lines of domestic and foreign policy, and the decision of war and peace, as well as direct authority over the army, the Revolutionary Guards, and the intelligence services.

The Iranian constitution - which was issued in 1979 - gave the guide or leader wide powers, the most important of which is the right to set and supervise the general policies of the republic's system, to order a general referendum, command the armed forces, declare war and peace and public mobilization. It also gave him the right to dismiss the President of the Republic, and to appoint and dismiss leaders of the Guardian Council and the head of the judiciary.

'The President of the Republic and his role'

As for the President of the Republic, he is considered - according to Article 13 of the Constitution - the highest authority in the state after the position of leadership. He is elected for a maximum of two terms, the term of which is four years. In most of his powers, he follows the Supreme Leader, and his freedom of movement is restricted by a group of unelected organs, most of which are controlled by clergymen, the most important of which is the Guardian Council.

The president is responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of the country, in addition to presiding over the National Security Council, which coordinates defense and security policy. The president can sign agreements with foreign governments and approve the appointment of ambassadors, and is assisted by the Council of Ministers or the government (the position of Prime Minister was abolished by the 1989 amendment) .

'Shura Council'

The Shura Council is a legislative and oversight assembly consisting of 290 seats, and its parliamentary term is four years. The SC has the powers to enact laws within the framework of the constitution, and to summon and question ministers and the president.

It is also responsible for granting and subtracting confidence from the government, and ratifying international treaties and agreements, but it remains subject to the oversight of the Guardian Council.

Guardian Council

The Guardian Council consists of 12 members, six senior scholars appointed by the Supreme Leader and six judges. It monitors the compliance of laws authorized by the Shura Council (Parliament) with Islamic law and the country’s constitution. It also examines the papers of candidates wishing to run in presidential and parliamentary elections, and ratifies the its results.

The Council is the only body qualified to interpret the principles of the constitution, and it supervises the elections of the Assembly of Experts, the presidential elections, the Shura Council elections, and public referendums.

'Leadership Experts Council'

The Council of Experts is a religious body established in 1982, consisting of 88 members who are elected for eight years. The Council, in accordance with Article 107 of the Constitution, chooses the leader (the Supreme Leader), determines his powers, monitors his performance of his duties, and dismisses him (according to Article 111), if it deems that he deviate from the constitutional path or miss any of the necessary conditions.

The council rarely interferes in the country's political affairs; It is specialized in maintaining the application of the foundations and pillars of the Wilayat al-Faqih system.

Expediency Council

It is also called the Expediency Council, and it is an advisory body founded in 1988. It consists of 31 members whose permanent and variable members are appointed by the Supreme Leader, except for the heads of the three authorities (executive, legislative and judicial) who automatically join the Council, and the term of office of its members is five years.

The Council is competent to resolve any disputes that arise between Parliament and the Guardian Council, and its decisions regarding the two bodies’ litigation become effective after approval by the Leader. In the event of the Supreme Leader’s death or incapacity, it chooses a member of the Assembly of Experts to assume the functions of the Leader until the election of a new Leader.

Judiciary

The judiciary authority, whose mission, according to the constitution, is to achieve justice, and its head is “a diligent, just and knowledgeable person” - according to the constitution - and is the highest official in the judiciary, appointed by the Supreme Leader for a period of five years.  he appoints judges, decides on their dismissal, transfers, and determines their jobs and promotion.

'The political situation in the country. Reformists and hardliners

After the death of Khomeini and the arrival of Ali Khamenei to power, a split occurred between the Islamic forces in the country, and some of them believed in the government economy, and they became known as the left and presented themselves as “followers of Khomeini’s path.” In contrast to these groups, followers of private property emerged and called themselves the Right.

The two groups lived a period of harmony and unity during the rule of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, but during his second term, differences arose between a group in his government and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

At the time, Rafsanjani was classified on the right-wing supporter of Khamenei, until the presidential elections in 1998, when the country witnessed new alignments: the nomination of former Parliament Speaker Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, who is close to Ali Khamenei and represented the right-wing movement in the country, and Muhammad Khatami, who is close to the leftist movement in the seventies, was nominated. Those elections witnessed for the first time a competition between those belonging to the regime of the Islamic Republic, and despite the candidacy of others in those elections, they did not achieve noticeable success and the competition remained between Nategh Nouri and Khatami.  

The military and security forces close to Khamenei sought to promote the candidate close to him, namely, Nategh Nouri. The majority of political observers suggested that Nategh Nouri would win, but the elections showed a surprising result for everyone: Muhammad Khatami received 20 million votes and the largest, Nategh Nouri, got 4 million votes.

 With the victory of Muhammad Khatami in the elections, the existence of a political current that revolved around him was established, and he called it the "reformist current." Those who were known as the leftists and the "followers of Khomeini's path" gathered around this trend, and some secular forces that adopted a moderate view of the Islamists approached them.

According to observers, Iranian society has witnessed wide developments due to the activity of various newspapers, the publication of books critical of the regime, the country's openness to many influential international faces, and the cultural transformation that the country has experienced. Therefore, the hard core belonging to Khamenei sensed danger due to these developments, and the majority of these are officials appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Republic.

The reformists bet on public opinion, while the hard-line forces bet on the support of the Revolutionary Guards, the Mobilization Forces, and the judiciary.

After the killings, which were called "a series of political assassinations", a campaign to suppress reformist centers in universities began and a number of those close to the reformists were arrested, especially the circle that exerted pressure against the leader, which led to the imposition of isolation on them.

Meanwhile, while the reformist parliamentarians were preparing for a new victory in the parliamentary elections, Khamenei withdrew the eligibility for candidacy from the majority of them through the powers granted to him by the constitution. To many reformers.

After these procedures, a large number of them isolated themselves from the reformist movement and did not show them any activity, until the presidential elections came in 2009, so Mir Hossein Mousavi was nominated and his presence in the arena created motives among the reformists to return to the arena.

Supporters of the reformist movement at home and abroad organized a wide campaign for his victory, which was described as "the largest campaign the country has witnessed since the revolution." The people continued to reject what was described as "manipulating the election results."

Tomorrow: Iranian elections.. Exclusion and accusations, so who is the luckiest?

(A)

ANHA