Index

Iran (The Islamic Republic of)

Flag Description

Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centred in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band.

Election type: Presidential

Election date: 17 June 2005 (first round); 24 June 2005 (second round)

Number of registered voters: 38 700 000 (as at 2000)

Compulsory voting: No

Government

Type: Islamic republic

Chief of State: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)

Party in government: There is no individual party in power however there are numerous informal organisations of reformers and conservatives.  

President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The last election was held on 8 June 2001.

Branches: Executive-"Leader of the Islamic Revolution" (head of state), President, and Council of Ministers.

Legislative – A unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles (290 seats; changed from 270 seats with the 18 February 2000 election). Members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Judicial: Supreme Court above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court.

Political parties: Formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties. A loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000. Groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun).

Suffrage: universal at 15

A Sydney Morning Herald article dated 25 June 2005 entitled Hardliner wins Iran election in landslide discusses ultra-conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad’s landslide win over moderate conservative Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, which signals a possible end to Iran's fragile social reforms and tentative rapprochement with the West. He is Iran's first non-cleric president for 24 years.

An Oxford Analytica article entitled Iran: Ahmadi-Nejad win cements conservative control dated 27 June 2005 analyses what ultra-conservative leadership will mean for Iran, including Iran’s continuation of its nuclear program, development of Iranian resources by Iranians, not foreigners and a lack of any well developed ideas for creating jobs and sharing wealth. Also of interest in this article are cabinet appointments,cultural policy, civil liberties and foreign policy.

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Last reviewed 22 September, 2005 by the Parliamentary Library Web Manager
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