Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts | |
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Last election | 1 March 2024 |
Meeting place | |
Assembly of Experts building, Tehran, Iran | |
Website | |
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Government of Islamic Republic of Iran |
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The Assembly of Experts (Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری, romanized: majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader of Iran.[2][3] All directly elected members must first be vetted by the Guardian Council.
All candidates to the Assembly of Experts must be approved by the Guardian Council whose members are, in turn, appointed either directly or indirectly by the Supreme Leader.
Functions
In the constitution
According to Article 111 of the
Whenever the Leader becomes incapable of fulfilling his constitutional duties, or loses one of the qualifications mentioned in Articles 5 and 109, or it becomes known that he did not possess some of the qualifications initially, he will be dismissed. The authority of determination in this matter is vested with the experts specified in Article 108. In the event of the death, or resignation or dismissal of the Leader, the experts shall take steps within the shortest possible time for the appointment of the new Leader. ... Whenever the Leader becomes temporarily unable to perform the duties of leadership owing to his illness or any other incident, then during this period, the council mentioned in this Article shall assume his duties.[11][12]
To choose the Supreme Leader, the Experts review qualified candidates and consult among themselves. According to the Constitution, the criteria of qualification for the office of the Supreme Leader include "Islamic scholarship, justice, piety, right political and social perspicacity, prudence, courage, administrative facilities and adequate capability for leadership."[12] The jurist deemed as the most well-versed in Islamic regulations, in fiqh, or in political and social issues, most generally popular, or of other special prominence is chosen as Supreme Leader. Otherwise, in the absence of such a candidate, the Experts elect and declare one of their own as Supreme Leader.[12]
Article 107 of the constitution states:
the task of appointing the Leader shall be vested with the experts elected by the people. The experts will review and consult among themselves concerning all the fuqaha' possessing the qualifications specified in Articles 5 and 109. In the event they find one of them better versed in Islamic regulations, the subjects of the fiqh, or in political and social issues, or possessing general popularity or special prominence for any of the qualifications mentioned in Article 109, they shall elect him as the Leader. Otherwise, in the absence of such a superiority, they shall elect and declare one of them as the Leader. The Leader thus elected by the Assembly of Experts shall assume all the powers of the wilayat al-amr and all the responsibilities arising therefrom.[13]
Article 99 of the constitution declares "The Guardian Council has the responsibility of supervising the elections of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership". It also had the responsibility for setting up the first Assembly. The constitution does not specify requirements for candidacy for the Assembly of Experts, leaving the Assembly itself to put limits on who may run for membership. Article 108 states:
The law setting out the number and qualifications of the experts [mentioned in the preceding article], the mode of their election, and the code of procedure regulating the sessions during the first term must be drawn up by the fuqaha' on the first Guardian Council, passed by a majority of votes and then finally approved by the Leader of the Revolution. The power to make any subsequent change or a review of this law, or approval of all the provisions concerning the duties of the experts is vested in themselves.[12]
The 1989 Iranian constitutional referendum removed the requirement for the leader to be a marja'. Ali Khamenei was not a marja' at that time.
Limits of power
How much actual power the Assembly has to supervise or oversee the Supreme Leader has been questioned. The assembly has never dismissed or even questioned a sitting Supreme Leader and, as all of its meetings and notes are strictly confidential, it has never been known to challenge or otherwise publicly oversee any of the Supreme Leader's decisions.[14] All candidates to the Assembly (as well as the President and the Majlis or Parliament), are selected by the Guardian Council, half of whose members are selected by the Supreme Leader.[15] Also, all directly elected members after the vetting process by the Guardian Council still have to be approved by the Supreme Leader.[5][16]
Furthermore, there have been instances of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly criticizing members of the Assembly, resulting in that member's arrest and an end to their time on the Assembly -- an example being Khamenei's denouncing of then-member of the Assembly Ahmad Azari Qomi as a "traitor" after the publishing of an open letter by Qomi criticizing Khamenei, resulting in Qomi's arrest and the eventual rejection by the Guardian Council of his candidacy for re-election to the Assembly.[17][18]
Other rules
The assembly gathers every six months. Activities of the assembly include compiling a list of those eligible to become Supreme Leader in the event of the current Supreme Leader's death, resignation, or dismissal. This is done by the 107/109 commission.[19] Monitoring the current leader to make sure he continues to meet all the criteria listed in the constitution is done by the 111 commission.[19] Members of the Assembly report to this commission about the issues concerning the current Supreme Leader, and the commission can then order an emergency meeting of the Assembly. If the commission denies this, the members can ask the entire plenary of the Assembly (86 members) for a vote, and if most of the members vote in favor, an emergency meeting will be scheduled to discuss the current Supreme Leader. The meetings, meeting notes, and reports of the Assembly are confidential and not made available to anyone outside the assembly, except for the sitting Supreme Leader.[19]
The assembly has passed laws to require all its members be experts in
Currently, the average age of the members of the Assembly is over 60, which results in many mid-term elections due to deaths and resignations. The members must be Ayatollahs, that is not the case, however, for Mohsen Esmaeili.[23]
Recent changes
4 year elections were abandoned in 2023 in favor of 8 year terms.[24]
Women
Women may be allowed.[25]
Criticism
The experts cannot even supervise, criticize or monitor the absolute Guardian Supreme leader by the letter of constitution law.[26] They have in the past canceled meetings for his mere convenience.[27] They have power over choosing the next supreme leader.[28]
Assemblies
First Assembly (1983–1991)
The first elections for the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership were held in December 1982 and the Assembly first convened in 1983. 76 of the total of 83 members were elected in the first round, the rest in the second. The full list of members and election results is available on the Princeton Iran Data Portal.[29]
As a number of members died, by-elections for replacement candidates were held in April 1988.
The Assembly was chaired throughout the term by Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, who chaired the Assembly also in subsequent terms until 2007.
In 1985, the Assembly chose
Second Assembly (1991–1999)
The Second Assembly was also chaired by Ayatollah Ali Meshkini. The full list of members and election results is available on the Princeton Iran Data Portal.[34] Sayed Mohammad Fagheh was one of the members from the province Neyriz Fars.
Third Assembly (1999–2007)
The 3rd assembly was again chaired by
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Fourth Assembly (2007–2016)
This section needs to be updated.(September 2017) |
The election for the fourth assembly took place on 15 December 2006 and the Assembly first convened on 19 February 2007. In July 2007, chairman Ayatollah Meshkini died, and
The term was intended to last for ten years, rather than the usual eight, due to the "election aggregation" plan of the government put in place to allow the government to run elections simultaneously for the Assembly of Experts and the Parliament, thereby economizing election administration costs.
Fifth Assembly (2016–2024)
The election of 88 members of the Fifth Assembly took place on 26 February 2016 alongside of the election for 290 members of the Iranian Majlis (parliament). Those elected will sit for a projected 8-year term.[38] The new assembly was opened on 24 May 2016 and selected Ahmad Jannati as chairman of the Fifth Assembly.[39]
Sixth Assembly (2024-present)
The election of 88 members of the Sixth Assembly took place on 1 March 2024 alongside of the election for 290 members of the Iranian Majlis (parliament). Conservatives dominated the assembly elections[40] Those elected will sit for a projected 8-year term.[41] The new assembly set to open in June[42] and the chairman is yet to be selected. According to Euro News, strong candidates such as Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani, Alireza Arafi, Mohsen Araki and Ebrahim Raisi are likely to replace Ahmad Jannati.[43]
Authority
The Assembly has never dismissed or even questioned the Supreme Leader.[44] Due to Ali Khamenei's lengthy, unchallenged reign, many believe that the Assembly of Experts has become a ceremonial body without any real power.[45][46][47][48] Iran's then-Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani, a Khamenei appointee, has stated that it is illegal for the Assembly of Experts to supervise Khamenei.[49]
There have been instances when the current Supreme Leader's public criticism of members of the Assembly of Experts was followed by their arrest and dismissal. For example, Khamenei publicly called member of the Assembly of Experts
See also
- List of current members in the Assembly of Experts
- List of members in the First Term of the Council of Experts
- List of members in the Second Term of the Council of Experts
- List of members in the Third Term of the Council of Experts
- List of members in the Fourth Term of the Council of Experts
- List of members in the Fifth Term of the Council of Experts
References
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- Constitution of Iran
- Constitution of Iran
- ^ "Rafsanjani breaks taboo over selection of Iran's next supreme leader". The Guardian. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ a b (see Article 108 of the constitution)
- ^ LL.M., Prof. Dr. Axel Tschentscher. "ICL - Iran - Constitution". www.servat.unibe.ch. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Elections in Iran: The great candidate cull: Choose any candidate you like—after the mullahs have excluded reformers". The Economist. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Understanding Iran's Assembly of Experts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived 9 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robin Wright, The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
- ^ "Iran (Islamic Republic of)'s Constitution of 1979 with Amendments through 1989. Article 111" (PDF). Constitute. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Iranian Government Constitution, English Text". Iran Online. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Iran (Islamic Republic of)'s Constitution of 1979 with Amendments through 1989. Article 107" (PDF). Constitute. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ISBN 9780307766076. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "Rafsanjani breaks taboo over selection of Iran's next supreme leader". Theguardian.com. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ "ICL - Iran - Constitution". Servat.unibe.ch. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018. "Everything you need to know about Iran's Assembly of Experts election". Brookings.edu. 30 November 2001. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
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- ^ "Action memorandum 037 – The Foundation for Democracy in Iran". 4 December 1997.
- ^ a b c "Discussion and assembly website". Archived from the original on 7 October 2007.
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- ^ "آفتاب – شورای مشورتی اصلاح طلبان برای شوراها". Aftab News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ موسوی لاری و تشريح برنامه های مجمع روحانيون در خبرگان Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Khalaji, Mehdi (February 2012). "Supreme Succession. Who Will Lead Post-Khamenei Iran?" (PDF). The Washington Institute. Washington DC. Archived from the original (Policy Focus (No. 117)) on 16 April 2014.
- ^ "دوره مجلس خبرگان ۸ ساله شد | اسپادانا خبر". www.espadanakhabar.ir. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "حضور زنان در میان انتخاب کنندگان رهبری؟".
- ^ "احمد خاتمی، عضو مجلس خبرگان: در هیچ کجای قانون اساسی نظارت بر رهبر نیامده است". 9 February 2024.
- ^ "عضو مجلس خبرگان: لغو دیدار با خامنهای برای «راحتی» او بود". 11 September 2022.
- ^ "ایران و جنگ جانشینی رهبری". Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Iran Data Portal". Princeton.edu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ [3] Archived 6 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Background Note: Iran". State.gov. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ "خبرگان رهبری – رييس مجمع تشخيص مصلحت نظام: از مهمترين پيشرف". Khobreganrahbari.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Iran Data Portal". Princeton.edu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ Manou & Associates Inc. "Islamic Republic of Iran Members of Assembly of Experts". Iran online. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
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- ^ "Iran election extended amid high turnout". BBC. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ "Hard-line cleric becomes speaker of Assembly of Expert". Associated Press. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Motamedi, Maziar. "Conservatives dominate Iran's parliament, assembly elections". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Assembly of Experts (Iran) | Role, Powers, Function, & Election | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "The sixth term of the Assembly of Experts will be opened in June". Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 6 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "The end of Ahmad Jannati's chairmanship; Who is the future president of the Council of Leadership Experts?". euronews (in Persian). 7 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ Emma Borden (9 February 2016). "Everything you need to know about Iran's Assembly of Experts election". The Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Myths and Realities of Iran's Parliamentary Elections". The Atlantic. 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ "Anomalies in Iran's Assembly of Experts Election - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". Washingtoninstitute.org. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
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- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Al-awsat, Asharq (15 December 2015). "Controversy in Iran Surrounding the Supervision of the Supreme Leader's Performance - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ Arash Karami (31 March 2016). "Rafsanjani missile tweet draws fire from Khamenei". Al-monitor.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr (30 January 2018). "Iranian opposition cleric accuses Khamenei of abuse of power". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Iranian cleric delivers rare public criticism of Ayatollah Khamenei - CBC News". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ Iranian Opposition Cleric Accuses Khamenei of Abuse of Power Archived 2 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine usnews.com
External links
- Official website
- Princeton Iran Data Portal: List of Election Results for all years, including breakdown by province
- Assembly of Experts in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran
- Understanding Iran's Assembly of Experts from Durham University
- Results of Assembly of Experts elections in 6 provinces
- Results of Assembly of Experts elections in four provinces
- Results of Assembly of Experts elections in some provinces
- Iran Electoral Archive – Assembly of Experts