| Horoscope |
|---|
|
|
|
| |
|
Iran Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Iran
Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Capital: Tehran
Area: 1,648,000 square kilometres ( 636,296 square miles )
Major cities (Population)
Tehran 6,830,000 (1995)
Mashhad 2,011,000 (1995)
Esfahan 1,915,000 (1995)
Population: 67,283,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.6 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Theocratic republic
Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Constitution: 2–3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministry
Voting Rights: Universal at age 15
Government
Iran is a theocratic republic. The Valli-faqhih is the country’s spiritual leader. Executive power lies in the hands of the president and his ministers, whose appointments are subject to approval by the Majlis, the 270-member Islamic consultative assembly. Both the president and the Majlis are elected for four-year terms. A Council of Guardians made up of 12 elected members (6 theologians and 6 Islamic lawyers) must approve all legislation passed by the Majlis. All laws must be in harmony with the doctrines of Islam, as it is interpreted by the country’s religious authorities. The Council also appoints judicial authorities, approves candidates for president, and oversees elections. The head of government and official chief of state has been President Rafsanjani since August 1989. The supreme religious leader, the Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei since June 1989, often functions as head of state. The voting age is 15. Voters receive a stamp on their identity papers verifying that they have voted. Some Iranians believe that the stamp makes it easier to get government employment or assistance, and to qualify for a passport.
Recent History
In the 20th century the Pahlavi dynasty was created when a military officer, Reza Khan, was elected Reza Shah (King) Pahlavi a few years after he had seized power in 1921. He did much to modernize the country, but stepped down in 1941 after the United Kingdom and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) occupied areas of the country to protect the Iranian oil fields from possible German seizure. His son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, took power and, after the occupying forces left in 1946, continued to modernize the country. Known as “the Shah”, he promoted literacy campaigns, voting rights for women, and industrialization. In 1963 he launched a programme of land reform and social and economic modernization known as the “White Revolution”. Increasing opposition to the westernization and secularization of the country, coupled with the increasing use of the secret police (called the Savak) to stifle the opposition, led to widespread riots and strikes in 1978.
In 1979 the Shah fled the country in response to continued social unrest. The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the exiled leader of the movement against the monarchy, returned at that time to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khomeini ordered that all laws and practices follow strict Islamic principles. The Islamic movement had many adherents because the monarch and his ties to the West had long been despised by many Iranians. When the Shah was admitted to the United States for medical treatment, Iran’s revolutionaries responded by seizing the United States embassy in Tehran and holding its personnel hostage until January 1981. Demands that the Shah be returned to Iran in exchange for the hostages were not met. The Shah moved to Panama and then to Egypt, where he died in July 1980. The US severed ties with Iran and still has no diplomatic relations with the government. Many Iranian policies, including the alleged sponsorship of terrorism, alienated most Western nations during the 1980s. A war broke out with Iraq in 1980 over control of the Shatt Al-Arab (a disputed waterway) and several islands. Eight years of war devastated the economy before a ceasefire was declared in 1988, and a peace treaty was signed in 1990. In February 1989 Khomeini issued a death sentence on Salman Rushdie on the grounds that Rushdie, born a Muslim, had offended Islam in his novel The Satanic Verses. The death threat has not been lifted.
Khomeini died in June 1989 and was succeeded as the Valli-faqhih (supreme leader) by the Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who had been president. Two months later, the Hojatolislam (a religious title) Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected president and worked to liberalize some Iranian policies. His goal is to restore Iran to its status as a prosperous, modern nation, using practical approaches to reform. He has moved cautiously to re-establish ties with the West and to moderate policies that some had considered restrictive (such as public dress requirements). Rafsanjani is credited with using his influence to win the release of Western hostages held in Lebanon for several years. Despite strong opposition, Rafsanjani’s supporters gained a majority in the 1992 parliamentary elections. But public support declined by 1993, and Rafsanjani faced voter frustration and apathy in the June presidential elections. Although he won re-election to another four-year term, his margin of victory over three token challengers was much lower than expected, and voter turnout was low. He accepted the victory as a mandate to continue reforms, despite continuing strong opposition from more conservative clerics, including Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who have responded with a backlash against political and social liberalization.
|
|
