The Persian Constitution of 1906 ( fa, قانون اساسی مشروطه, Qanun-e Asasi-ye Mishirutâh), was the first

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

of the Sublime State of Persia ( Qajar Iran), resulting from the Persian Constitutional Revolution and it was written by Hassan Pirnia, Hossein Pirnia, and

Ismail Mumtaz Esmail Momtaz od-Dowleh ( fa, اسماعیل ممتازالدوله) was a notable Iranian statesman of the early twentieth century. Born in Tabriz in 1880, he was one of the original Parliamentarians of the First Majles in 1906. He was also its ...

, among others. The Constitution was also in effect during Pahlavi Iran. It divides into five chapters with many articles that developed over several years. The

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

was the foundation of this constitution while the Belgian constitution served as a partial model for the document.

The electoral and fundamental laws of 1906

The electoral and fundamental laws of 1906 established the

electoral system An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections ma ...

and the internal frameworks of the Majlis (Parliament) and the Senate. By the royal proclamation of August 5, 1906, Mozzafar al-Din Shah created this first constitution "for the peace and tranquility of all the people of Persia." Muhammad Ali Shah Qajar is credited with chapters 4 and 5.

The electoral law of September 9, 1906

The electoral law of September 9, 1906 defined the regulations for the Elections to the Majlis.

Disenfranchised

Article 3 of this chapter stated that (1) women, (2) foreigners, (3) those under 25, (4) "persons notorious for mischievous opinions," (5) those with a criminal record, (6) active military personnel, and a few other groups are not permitted to vote.

Election qualifications

Article 4 stated that the elected must be (1) fully literate in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, (2) "they must be Iranian subjects of Iranian extraction," (3) "be locally known," (4) "not be in government employment," (5) be between 30 and 70 years old, and (6) "have some insight into affairs of State." Article 7 asserted, "Each elector has one vote and can only vote in one ocialclass."

The fundamental laws of December 30, 1906

The fundamental laws of December 30, 1906 defined the role of the Majlis in the system and its framework. It further defined a bicameral legislature. Article 1 established the

National Consultative Assembly The National Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای ملی, Mad̲j̲les-e s̲h̲ūrā-ye mellī) or simply Majles, was the national legislative body of Iran from 1906 to 1979. It was elected by universal suffrage, excluding the armed for ...

This became known as the Islamic Consultative Assembly after the Islamic Revolution. based "on justice." Article 43 stated, "There shall be constituted another Assembly, entitled the Senate."

Constitutional Amendment of 1907

Among the topics discussed in the amendment, was the declaration of

Twelver Shi'ism Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

as the state religion and establishment of a council of 5 high ranking Twelver Shia clerics tasked to make sure the laws passed by the parliament are not against the laws of Islam. Also among the topics were articles about the rights of the people and articles describing the flag of Iran and setting

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

as the capital of the country.

References and notes

External links

Iran's 1906 Constitution and Its Supplement

Constitution of Iran, 1906 (farsi)

Constitutional Revolution
from ''Iran Chamber Society'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Persian Constitution Of 1906 Persian Constitutional Revolution Defunct constitutions Constitution, 1906 Politics of Qajar Iran 1906 in Iran 1906 in law Constitution, 1906 1906 documents Constitutions of Iran 1900s in Islam