I'll try not to be as dry with the subject matter as the headline suggests. Iran's politics and it's interesting take on democracy are worthy items of interest.
Yes, I said democracy, of a sort. I'll give a brief description of the following federal government of Iran's agencies and agents' jobs and duties.
Supreme Leader:
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei has control of the armed forces: The Supreme Leader is elected by the Assembly of Experts, which is also in charge of overseeing the Supreme Leader, and has the power to dismiss and replace him at any time. As the name indicates, the Supreme Leader is considered as the ultimate head of the Iranian political and governmental establishment, above that of Iran's president; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. According to the constitution, he has the last say in internal and foreign policies, control of the army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, control of state broadcast and others.
So, the truth comes out. Ahmadinejad is not the 'commander in chief'. Though he could be, if the Supreme Leader doesn't feel up to the task.
President:
The President of Iran is elected in a national election by universal adult suffrage — suffrage is extended to all 18 years of age or older. The selection of candidates for the election is restricted to those individuals approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians. Half of the Council's members are appointed by the Supreme Leader and are intended to preserve the values of the Islamic Republic.
The President nominates the members of government to the majlis (parliament). He can dismiss any of the government members. He passes bills to the parliament and if approved, the bills are not effective until signed by the president. Although according to the constitution the Supreme Leader is the commander-in-chief of armed forces, a president can serve as the commander upon approval of the Supreme Leader. For example, the first elected president of Iran was also commander of the military. The president appoints the secretary of national security council. He appoints the governors of the provinces and ambassadors of the Islamic Republic to other countries. Until recently, he had the power of appointing mayors of cities. However, the power was given to the cities local assemblies which are directly elected by the people and are directed by the parliament.
Hmmm...maybe democracy is developing at the grass roots. Starting with the election of city officials and not government appointees.
Assembly of Experts:
A congressional body of 86 Mujtahids which elects the Supreme Leader and supervises his activities. Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by direct public vote to eight year terms. Current laws requires the assembly to meet for at least two days, twice annually.
Mujtahids -
an Islamic scholar, competent to interpret divine law (sharia) in practical situations using ijtihad (independent thought). In some, but not all, Islamic traditions, a mujtahid can specialise in a branch of sharia - economic or family law for example.
Guardian Council:
The council has 12 members: six clerics, conscious of the present needs and the issues of the day, appointed by the supreme leader and six jurists, specializing in different areas of law, to be elected by the Majlis from among the Muslim jurists nominated by the Head of the Judicial Power. (who, in turn, is also appointed by the supreme leader)
Majlis of Iran:
called The Iranian Parliament, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Majlis currently has 290 representatives.
Currently, the Majlis' 290 members, five of whom represent non-Muslim religious minorities, are popularly elected for four-year terms. The Majlis can force the dismissal of cabinet ministers by no-confidence votes and can impeach the president for misconduct in office. Although the executive proposes most new laws, individual deputies of the Majlis also may introduce legislation. Deputies also may propose amendments to bills being debated. The Majlis also drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget. All Majlis candidates and all legislation from the assembly must be approved by the Guardian Council. Even though the Majlis is more democratic in nature than other governments in the region, it is not as powerful as the legislative bodies in, for example, the United States.
Expediency Discernment Council:
is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran. Its purpose is to resolve differences or conflicts between the Majlis and the Council of Guardians, and also to serve as a consultative council to the Supreme Leader.
Judicial System of Iran:
In an Iranian court the judge acts as prosecutor, jury, and arbiter; the system is a form of the inquisitorial system. In certain cases involving the media a jury is allowed to be the arbiter. The judge holds absolute power. In practice, judges may be overwhelmed by cases, and not have the time to excogitate about each case. All judges are certified in Islamic law, and most, but not all, are members of the ruling clergy.
That gives one pause for thought.
Supreme National Security Council:
The responsibilities of the council is defined by the constitution as:
1. Determining the defense and national security policies within the framework of general policies determined by the Leader;
2. Coordination of activities in the areas relating to politics, intelligence, social, cultural and economic fields in regard to general defense and security policies; and
3. Exploitation of materialistic and intellectual resources of the country for facing the internal and external threats.
The president selects the secretary of the council. The decisions of the Supreme Council for National Security is effective after the confirmation by the Supreme Leader. Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is at the top of the foreign-policy process.
Supreme National Security Council formulates the country's nuclear policy. The nuclear policies formulated by the council would become effective if they are confirmed by the Supreme Leader. Secretary of the council, currently Ali Larijani, is the chief nuclear negotiator of Iran.
Ali Larijani -
As the secretary of the council, he has reversed the submissive and retroactive policies of the reformists under Hassan Rowhani, who had agreed to systematically suspend all nuclear enrichments without any condition.
Keeping track of the nuclear players.
City and Village Councils of Iran:
City and Village Councils (full title is: Provincial, City, District and Village Councils) are local councils which are elected by public vote in all cities and villages throughout Iran. Council members in each city or village are elected by direct public vote to a 4 year term.
That's not everything but I think it's a good start. The links that are provided will undoubtedly be more in depth. With this diary, I wanted to present a general overview of how Iran elects and selects it's government.
Please feel free to add anything I might have missed. I know I left out Sharia law but that's another diary in itself.
Note - I didn't know most of this before last week, so I thought that other people might want to know about Iran and it's election and selection process.