1979 Iranian Constitutional Referendum
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A constitutional referendum was held in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
on 2 and 3 December 1979. The new Islamic constitution was approved by 99.5% of voters. The referendum was held by the
Council of the Islamic Revolution The Council of the Islamic Revolution () was a group formed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to manage the Iranian Revolution on 10 January 1979, shortly before he returned to Iran. "Over the next few months there issued from the council hundreds ...
, because Bazargan's
Interim Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revolut ...
—which oversaw the previous referendum—had resigned in protest to the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. A day before the referendum, when the mourning of ''
Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites ...
'' was practiced,
Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
said those who will not vote tomorrow, will help Americans and desecrate '' Shohada'' (Martyrs). Alongside
Islamic Republican Party The Islamic Republican Party (IRP; , also translated Islamic Republic Party) was formed in 1979 to assist the Iranian Revolution and Ayatollah Khomeini in their goal to establish theocracy in Iran. It was disbanded in 1987 due to internal confl ...
, the communist
Tudeh Party of Iran The Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddegh's campaign to nationalize ...
urged people to vote yes, expressing its support for " Imam's line"; while
Freedom Movement of Iran The Freedom Movement of Iran (FMI) or Liberation Movement of Iran (LMI; ) is an Iranian pro-democracy political organization founded in 1961, by members describing themselves as "Muslims, Iranians, Constitutionalists and Mossadeghists". It is th ...
requested a yes vote on the grounds that the alternative was an
anarchy Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...
. Others, including leftists, secular nationalists and Islamist followers of
Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari (), also spelled Shariat-Madari (5 January 1906 – 3 April 1986), was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He favoured the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics away from governmental positions and was a crit ...
, and the prominent opposition group PMOI (People's Mojahedin Organization) called for a boycott. The turnout among
Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
minorities in
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
and Sistan and Baluchestan Provinces, as well as Shariatmadari's home
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
was low and number of votes fell down in comparison to the referendum held in March. Historian
Ervand Abrahamian Ervand Abrahamian (; ; born 1940) is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Early life Ervand Vahan Abrahamian wa ...
estimates that nearly 17% of the people did not support the constitution.


Background

In 1907, a supplement to the constitution (fundamental law) was adopted, and some aspects of European constitutional law that were found to be inconsistent with Shia doctrine were accommodated without any attempts to develop Islamic fundamental laws at that time. In March 1979 the
Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...
was overthrown, and an Islamic republic was established following the Iranian Islamic Republic referendum. On 1 April 1979 the 2,500-year-old Persian Empire in Iran came to an end, with Ayatollah Khomeini declaring it as the first day of a "Government of God." He emphasized the need to ratify a new Constitution. On 12 January 1979, an election for the
Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts (), 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. All directly elected members must first be vetted ...
was held, and Ayatollah Khomeini encouraged Iranians to choose their representatives. The Assembly of Experts, functioning as a
constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
, commenced its activities on 3 and 4 August 1979, with 72 representatives from across Iran. During these proceedings, Ayatollah
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Government of Iran, Islamic Republic, ...
conveyed Ayatollah Khomeini's message that the "Constitution and other laws in this Republic must be based one hundred per cent on Islam." The Assembly of Experts continued its deliberations until 15 November 1979, and ultimately, the new Islamic constitution received approval from at least two-thirds of the representatives. In June 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini made minor adjustments to the draft constitution and stipulated that it should be subjected to a referendum.


New constitution

The proposed new constitution would make Iran an
Islamic republic The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a s ...
, introduce direct elections for the
presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...
, create a
unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, and require any constitutional changes to go to a referendum.Iran, 3 December 1979: Constitution
Direct Democracy
The new constitution was codified according to Shia Islam. Therefore, there was an appendix in which verses of
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
and traditions were cited in support of many articles. Among the applied changes was a chapter on
leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
replacing a chapter on monarchy. Two chapters about
foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
and
mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...
were added. Some articles from the previous constitution were preserved, such as equality before the law (Articles 19–20); guarantees of the security of life, property, honor, and domicile (Articles 22, 39); freedom of opinion and choice of profession (Articles 23, 28); the rights to due process (Articles 32–36) and to the privacy of communications (Article 25); and a requirement for public deliberations of the Majlis under normal circumstances (Article 69), as well as parliamentary procedure and definition of the rights and responsibilities of the ministers of the Majlis (Articles. 70, 74, 88–90).


Party policies


Results


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 12 Iranian constitutional referendum Aftermath of the Iranian Revolution
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
Referendums in Iran December constitutional referendum Constitutional referendums Iranian constitutional referendum 1970s in Iran