Iran Government 1997

Country name
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran
conventional short form: Iran
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
local short form : Iran

Data code IR

Government type theocratic republic

National capital Tehran

Administrative divisions 25 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi,Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan,Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshahan, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyehva Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistanva Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
note: there may be two new provinces named Qom and Qazvin

Independence 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

National holiday Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

Constitution 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency andeliminate the prime ministership

Legal system the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Suffrage 15 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: supreme leader (rahbar-e moazam) and functional chief of state - Leaderof the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
head of government: President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989); FirstVice President Hasan Ebrahim HABIBI (since NA August 1989)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval
elections: supreme leader appointed for life by the Council of Experts; presidentelected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 11 June 1993(next to be held 23 May 1997)
election results: Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI elected president; percent of vote - AliAkbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI 63%

Legislative branch unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami(270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 March and 19 April 1996 (next to be held NA March 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders Iran has no political parties; the most important political "groupings"are - Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Secretary General Ayatollah MohammadEMAMI-KASHANI; Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and MohammadAsqar MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Servants of Reconstruction (G-6), Mohammad HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI,Hosein MARASHI

Political pressure groups and leaders groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah,Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line ofthe Imam, and the Islamic Coalition Association; opposition groups includethe Liberation Movement of Iran and the Nation of Iran party; armed politicalgroups that have been almost completely repressed by the government includeMojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Partyof Iranian Kurdistan; the Society for the Defense of Freedom

International organization participation CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy,headed by Faramarz FATH-NEJAD; address: Iranian Interests Section, PakistaniEmbassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202)965-4990

Diplomatic representation from the US none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland

Flag description three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the nationalemblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the topedge of the red band

NOTE: The information regarding Iran on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Iran Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Iran Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.