President of Iran
The
President of Iran holds a very important office in
Iran's political establishment. Originally a figurehead position when created after the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the presidency has become an increasingly important office, especially since 1989. The current president is
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In contrast with most republics, the effective head of Iran's political establishment is not the president, but rather the
Supreme Leader, who is a religious figure selected by an
Assembly of Experts. For instance,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who is perhaps the most famous Iranian leader in the West, was Supreme Leader, not president.
Despite this, Iran's
president fulfills many of the classical functions of a
head of state, such as accepting the credentials of ambassadors. Since the change in the constitution that removed the post of
Prime Minister and merged most of the prime ministerial duties with the President's, the once
figurehead Presidential post has become a position of significant government influence. In addition, as the highest directly elected official in Iran, the President is responsive and responsible to public opinion in a way that the Supreme Leader is not.
The President of Iran is elected in a national
election by universal adult suffrage — suffrage is extended to all over the age of 15. The selection of candidates for the election is restricted to those individuals approved by the 12-member religious
Council of Guardians. The Council's members are appointed either directly or indirectly by the Supreme Leader and are intended to preserve the values of Iran's theocratic Islamic government. To be eligible to run for president the Council proclaims the following qualifications be met:
*The candidate must be Male
*Be a
Muslim*Be between the ages of 25 and 75
*have no
criminal record*have no record of government service under the
Iranian Monarchy*be loyal to the Islamic Republic
|
The Presidential Complex, Zafaraniyeh, Tehran. |
Within these guidelines the Council
vetoes candidates who are deemed unacceptable. The approval process is considered to be a check on the president's power, and usually amounts to a very small minority of candidates being approved. In the 1997 election, for example, only four out of 238 presidential candidates were approved by the council. Western observers have routinely criticized the approvals process as a way for the Council and Supreme Leader to ensure that only conservative and like-minded Islamic fundamentalists can win office.
The President must be elected with a
simple majority of the popular vote. A
runoff election may be required to achieve this.
According to the
Iranian constitution, When the President dies or is impeached, a special provisional
Presidential Council temporarily rules in his place until an election can be held.
The President automatically becomes the Head of
Council of Cultural Revolution and the Head of
Council of National Security.
|
Mohammad Khatami, President of Iran, 1997-2005. |
*
Abolhassan Banisadr - President from January 1980 (
1980 election) to his
impeachment in June of 1981.
*
Mohammad Ali Rajai - elected president on
August 2,
1981 (
July 1981 election) in the wake of Banisadr's impeachment. Assassinated on
August 30 of the same year.
*
Ali Khamenei - elected president in October, 1981 (
October 1981 election). Re-elected in 1985 (
1985 election). Became
Supreme Leader after the death of
Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989. Fulfilled the role of both Supreme Leader and President between the death of Khomeini and the election of Rafsanjani.
*
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani - elected president in August of 1989 (
1989 election), re-elected in 1993 (
1993 election), served until August 1997.
*
Mohammad Khatami - elected president in August of 1997 (
1997 election), re-elected in 2001 (
2001 election), served until August 2005.
*
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - elected in a run off
June 24,
2005 (
2005 election), served since
August 3,
2005.
*
Politics of Iran*
Prime Ministers of Iran*
Iranian presidential election, 2005*
The President's Office*
Iran's Presidential Office of Scientific and Industrial Studies
