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Last reviewed: 19 March 2009

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POLITICS

Recent Political Developments

The last Presidential elections took place on 24 June 2005.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hardline conservative former mayor of Tehran beat former President Rafsanjani (1989 - 1997), a “pragmatic conservative”.  President Ahmadinejad secured just over one third of the votes in the second round.  He replaced the reformist President Khatami (1997 -2005). Although there was a relatively high voter turnout of approximately 59%, the Guardian Council, an unelected body of clerics and jurists that vets candidates, prevented the vast majority of candidates, including all females, from standing.  There were also concerns about vote-rigging in the first round of the two-round election.

The political fallout from the election has seen the further marginalisation of reformists and increased tensions between traditional and pragmatic conservatives on the one hand and the ascendant younger radical hard-liners, linked to the new president, on the other.  The political influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij and other security apparata has increased after Ahmadinejad’s election, with numerous official positions in Tehran and the provinces now occupied by those linked to these bodies.

Ahmadinejad was elected on a populist conservative agenda promising social justice, economic redistribution and an anti-corruption campaign.  Since his election, he has expanded his influence in the foreign policy arena, through public speeches and appeal to mass opinion, although the constitution gives the Supreme Leader the leading role in foreign policy making.  However, Ahmadinejad’s economic management has come under increasing criticism: he is being blamed for high inflation as a result of extravagant public spending, and a likely medium-term fall in oil production as foreign investment dries up.

The Supreme Leader appears to be generally supportive of the president's policies, although he has criticised the government for failing to curb inflation.

Relations between the President and the outgoing Majles (parliament) have been difficult, most noticeably over Ahmadinejad's ministerial appointments, the budget and planned subsidy reform. The last Majles election was in March 2008, when about a third of candidates were disqualified from standing.  Many of those disqualified were reformists.  The EU expressed “deep regret and disappointment” over the high level of disqualifications, which it said “prevented the Iranian people from being able to choose freely amongst the full range of political views in their country” and were “a clear violation of international norms”, making the election neither free nor fair.

The next Presidential election is due to take place in June 2009.

Constitution

The present Constitution was adopted after the 1979 revolution.  It stipulates that Iran is an Islamic Republic and the teachings of Islam are to be the basis of all political, social and economic relations.

Overall authority is vested in the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of 86 religious scholars chosen from all over Iran.  The Supreme Leader is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

The executive branch is headed by a President, elected by universal adult suffrage for a term of four years and restricted by the Constitution to no more than two consecutive terms in office.

Legislative powers are held by the Majles, consisting of 290 elected members who represent regional areas or religious communities for a four-year term.  Iranian Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews have dedicated Majles representatives.  All legislation passed by the Majles is sent to the Council of Guardians for approval.  The Majles also approve the members of the Council of Ministers, the Iranian equivalent of the UK's Cabinet, who are appointed by the President.  The Council of Guardians reviews legislation passed by the Majles for constitutionality and adherence to Islamic law.  It is composed of six theologians appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by the Majles.  The Council of Guardians also has the power to vet candidates for the Majles, local councils, the Presidency and the Assembly of Experts.

The Council for the Discernment of Expediency was created in 1988 to resolve disputes over legislation between the Majles and the Council of Guardians.  In August 1989 it became an advisory body on national policy and constitutional issues for the Supreme Leader.  It is currently led by former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and includes the heads of all three branches of government and the clerical members of the Council of Guardians. The Supreme Leader appoints other members for a three-year term.

BBC website: Iran's Political System

Political parties were legalised in 1998 after a 13-year ban and are still at an early stage of development.  Parties must accept the principle of Velayat-e Faqih meaning rule by the Islamic Jurist or 'Faqih' – the Supreme Leader.

Factions, particularly in the Majles, are most often defined broadly as 'reformist' or 'conservative'.  The dominant faction in the Majles is currently Abadgaran, the Development Coalition of Islamic Iran, whose platform is conservative.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The human rights situation in Iran remains poor. Restrictions of freedom of expression and freedom of religion are worsening. Journalists, academics, human rights defenders, and ethnic and religious minorities (such as members of the Baha’i faith) face harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention and threats of prosecution. The use of the death penalty is rising, and Iran is one of the few countries in the world that still executes juvenile offenders. Although rare, cruel and inhumane punishments such as flogging, stoning and amputations remain on the statute books.  We have serious concerns about the lack of effective action to reform laws, institutions and official practices in Iran.  Two major issues of concern are:

The death penalty

We are extremely concerned about the increasing use of the death penalty in Iran, and the absence of many of the most basic standards surrounding its use. Iran remains second only to China in terms of total number of executions. According to Amnesty International estimates, there were over 350 executions in 2008, compared to 300 in 2007 and 177 in 2006. This included the execution of at least eight juvenile offenders – under the age of 18 at the time of their offence – in a clear breach of Iran’s international human rights commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Freedom of expression

Restrictions on freedom of expression have been tightened over the past year.  There has been a noticeable clampdown on any form of organised protest, including arrests of student protesters, women’s rights campaigners, trade unionists and teachers. Censorship of the print media continues and newspapers and magazines are regularly shut down. The Iranian Government has been known to issue directives forbidding press coverage of, and debate about, certain political issues, and criticism of the Supreme Leader is not tolerated. The internet is popular in Iran, especially amongst the younger generation, and Iran has one of the largest and most active blogging populations in the world. However the internet is not immune from government censorship: websites and blogs that provide news or critical comment are routinely blocked and internet connection speeds are deliberately limited in order to restrict access to foreign websites and audio and visual internet services.  Many journalists and bloggers now self-censor their work, and there is growing reluctance amongst individuals and non-governmental organisations to have contact with foreign embassies or governments, following the arrest of several individuals on charges of espionage.

UK action

There are many individuals in Iran who continue to work to improve the human rights situation in their country despite the intimidation that they face. Iranian human rights lawyer and  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Shirin Ebadi is just one of the brave individuals who speaks out tirelessly against human rights violations and oppression of minority groups. Dr Ebadi herself became a target for the Iranian government in December 2008, when authorities forcibly closed her Centre for Human Rights Defenders and subjected her and her staff to harassment and intimidation.  
It is the longstanding policy of the UK and the EU to support reform in Iran and stand up for the international human rights standards to which so many Iranians aspire. We remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation, and the apparent reluctance on the part of the government to undertake the necessary reforms in this area. The international community clearly has a duty to respond, and human rights remain a central part of our policy approach towards Iran. We, and the EU, have consistently said that our relations with Iran also depend on the steps it takes to address its poor human rights record.
The UK Government continues to raise our individual cases and general human rights concerns with the Iranian authorities regularly and at all levels, we do so bilaterally and through the EU. This enables us to discuss specific violations and the need for effective reforms, and to continue to press Iran to uphold its obligations under international human rights conventions. We also take action at the United Nations and, along with all other EU countries, co-sponsored a resolution at the last UN General Assembly, which expressed serious concern at the human rights situation in Iran. The resolution was adopted in December 2008 for the sixth consecutive year, sending a strong and consistent message of international concern at the human rights situation in Iran.

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Iran

Address:

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
16 Prince's Gate
London SW7 1PT

Consular Section:
50 Kensington Court
London W8 5DB

Telephone:

(020) 7225 3000
(020) 7937 5225 Consular

Fax:

(020) 7589 4440
(020) 7938 1615 Consular

Website: www.iran-embassy.org.uk