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| Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Islamic Consultative Assembly |
| Native name | مجلس شورای اسلامی |
| Established | 1980 |
| House type | Unicameral |
| Members | 290 |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Meeting place | Tehran |
Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly) is the unicameral legislature of the Islamic Republic of Iran, seated in Tehran and formed after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 to replace the National Consultative Assembly (Persia), the Assembly of Experts for Constitution, and elements of the Guardian Council. The body operates under the 1979 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and interacts with institutions such as the Supreme Leader of Iran, the President of Iran, the Guardian Council, the Expediency Discernment Council, and the Judiciary of Iran in lawmaking, oversight, and budgetary review.
The Majlis traces its antecedents to the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the Tobacco Protest, evolving from the National Consultative Assembly (Persia) established under the Qajar dynasty to the post-1979 institutions shaped by figures like Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, and members of the Assembly of Experts for Constitution. After the Iran–Iraq War the Majlis navigated debates involving the Reconstruction era, reformist currents associated with Mohammad Khatami and conservatives linked to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and electoral shifts evident during the 1990s and 2000s amid tensions with the Guardian Council and intervention by the Expediency Discernment Council. Major legislative milestones included laws on the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran amendments (proposals), economic measures responding to United States sanctions against Iran, and oversight during administrations of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan Rouhani, and Ebrahim Raisi.
The assembly comprises 290 representatives elected from constituencies across Iran, including reserved seats for recognized religious minorities such as Zoroastrians of Iran, Christians in Iran, and Jews of Iran. Members serve four-year terms and may form parliamentary groups and commissions analogous to committees seen in bodies like the United States House of Representatives or the British House of Commons, while leadership roles include the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and deputy speakers elected from among members. The Majlis interacts institutionally with the Guardian Council—whose twelve members include jurists appointed by the Head of the Judiciary of Iran and clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran—and with advisory bodies such as the Expediency Discernment Council and the Assembly of Experts.
The assembly enacts legislation on matters specified in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, approves national budgets submitted by the President of Iran and cabinet such as the Government of Iran, ratifies international treaties with oversight from the Guardian Council, and exercises parliamentary oversight through questions, interpellations, and impeachments of ministers and officials including prime ministerial-era precedents and modern ministers across administrations like Mohammad Javad Zarif and Saeed Jalili. The Majlis may summon cabinet members and summon heads of state institutions, propose motions related to national security debated with the Supreme National Security Council, and influence appointments vetted by institutions such as the Judiciary of Iran and the Central Bank of Iran.
Representatives are elected under a majoritarian and two-round system in single- and multi-member constituencies, with voting procedures administered by bodies including the Ministry of Interior (Iran), and candidate qualifications reviewed by the Guardian Council which applies criteria linked to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Islamic jurisprudence advocated by jurists like Ayatollah Montazeri and Ayatollah Khomeini. Elections have featured political blocs categorized broadly as reformists associated with Mohammad Khatami, principalists linked to Ali Larijani and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and independents connected to regional figures and movements such as those representing Khuzestan Province, Tehran Province, and ethnic constituencies like Azeris of Iran and Kurds of Iran.
Bills may be proposed by MPs, the President of Iran, the Guardian Council in some cases, or national organizations; they pass through specialized commissions, plenary debate, and majority votes before submission to the Guardian Council for compatibility with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Islamic law as interpreted by the Council's clerical and jurist members. When the Guardian Council objects, disputed bills may be referred to the Expediency Discernment Council for arbitration, a mechanism used during high-profile legislative conflicts involving trade, energy policy, and anti-corruption statutes debated during presidencies such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Rouhani.
The Majlis operates within a power-sharing framework that includes the Executive of Iran led by the President of Iran, the Judiciary of Iran headed by the Head of the Judiciary of Iran, and the unelected oversight role of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Its legislative initiatives and budgetary approvals can be checked by the Guardian Council and mediated by the Expediency Discernment Council, while its confirmation and impeachment authority create points of contest with cabinets in administrations led by figures like Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Khatami, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Electoral vetting and disqualifications by the Guardian Council influence the assembly's composition, producing recurrent interactions with civil society actors, political parties, and international actors such as the European Union and the United Nations during sanction and diplomatic episodes.
Critics cite recurring candidate disqualifications by the Guardian Council, restrictions on reformist blocs after elections like the 2004 and 2008 cycles, allegations of corruption involving members investigated by the Judiciary of Iran, and contentious legislation affecting social policy debated against the backdrop of protests including those in 2009 Iranian presidential election protests and later demonstrations. Observers including scholars affiliated with institutions like the International Crisis Group, commentators in outlets referencing Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and regional actors from Gulf Cooperation Council states have highlighted concerns about transparency, separation of powers, and the assembly's capacity to check unelected institutions such as the Supreme Leader of Iran and the Guardian Council.
Category:Politics of Iran Category:Parliaments