Real Iran FRQ

Constitutional roles of Head of State and Head of Government

• head of state is the supreme leader and controls the majority of policy making, decisions, military and judiciary.

• President is mostly ceremonial and is in charge of the executive branch and requires supreme leader approval for decisions

Identify theocratic and democratic elements in Iran

• Iran has elections for President, Majiles, and Assembly of experts.

• Supreme leader is a religious figure with almost unchecked political power.

• Guardian council is made up of clerics who can vet candidates and laws to make sure of full compliance with sharia law.

• Velayat e faqih: justified clerical rule and making Iran a theocracy.

Constitutional roles of Head of State and Head of Government

• head of state is the supreme leader and controls the majority of policy making, decisions, military and judiciary.

• President is mostly ceremonial and is in charge of the executive branch and requires supreme leader approval for decisions

Identify theocratic and democratic elements in Iran

• Iran has elections for President, Majiles, and Assembly of experts.

• Supreme leader is a religious figure with almost unchecked political power.

• Guardian council is made up of clerics who can vet candidates and laws to make sure of full compliance with sharia law.

• Velayat e faqih: justified clerical rule and making Iran a theocracy.

Legislature and their functions

• majiles: irans legislative body that passes laws, approves budgets and oversees executives

• Guardian Council: reviews all legislation to make sure it aligns with Islamic law

• Expediency Council: resolved disputes between majils and guardian council and favors Supreme Leader decisions

• Majiles are directly elected but candidates are vetted by the Guardian Council which are clerical members appointed by the Supreme Leader.

Political Transparency

• low political transparency with elections heavily controlled by Guardian Council which

• State repression of dissent and restriction of media with Iran having one of the slowest internets in the world. Also imprisonment of journalists and violence (2009 Green movement)

• The revolutionary guard ands basij enforce Islamic law and suppress dissent

Sources of political legitimacy

• supreme leader derives authority for sharia law which allows for religious legitimacy as well as the velayat e faqih which allowed for Islamic centered rule

• The Revolution of 1979 because it framed the government

• Some democratic legitimacy with direct elections for President and Majiles

rentier state

• Iran is a rentier state because it relies on oil exports making the economy vulnerable to sanctions

• Bonyads control a great amount of wealth and benefit elites rather than public services.

• Revolutionary guard hold the majority of bonyads which increased corruption