The Islamic Consultative Assembly (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the

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 ...

national

legislative body A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers o ...

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 ...

. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an increase from the previous 270 seats since the 18 February 2000 election.

History

Islamic Republic of Iran

Following the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

of 1979, the Senate of Iran was abolished and effectively succeeded by the

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

, maintaining the bicameral structure of the Iranian legislature. In the 1989 constitutional revision, the ''National Consultative Assembly'' was renamed the ''Islamic Consultative Assembly''. Since the Iranian Revolution, the Parliament of Iran has been led by six chairmen.

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, ...

served as the inaugural chairman from 1980 to 1989. Subsequently, Mehdi Karroubi held the position in two separate terms (1989–1992 and 2000–2004), followed by Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri (1992–2000),

Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel (; born 9 May 1945) is an Iranian conservative and principlist politician and former chairman of the Parliament. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was the first non-cleric in the post sinc ...

(2004–2008),

Ali Larijani Ali Ardashir Larijani (born 3 June 1958) is an Iranian politician and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. He has been a member of the Expediency ...

(2008–2020), and, since 2020,

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...

. Throughout its history, the Parliament's character has evolved from being a "debating chamber for notables" to a "club for the shah's placemen" during the Pahlavi era. In the era of the Islamic Republic, it has shifted to being a body primarily influenced by members of the "propertied middle class."

2017 attack

On 7 June 2017, there were shootings at the Iranian parliament and at the

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

of Ayatollah Khomeini. Gunmen opened fire at the Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum of religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. The attack on the mausoleum reportedly left 17 persons dead and more than 30 people injured. The parliament was attacked by four gunmen which left seven to eight people injured. Both attacks took place around the same time and appear to have been coordinated.

Functions

The Islamic Consultative Assembly holds the authority to legislate laws on all matters within the boundaries defined by the Constitution. Nevertheless, it is restricted from enacting laws that contradict the fundamental principles of the official religion of the nation (Islam) or the Constitution itself. Government bills are submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly only after obtaining the approval of the . The Islamic Consultative Assembly possesses the prerogative to investigate and scrutinize all matters concerning the country. International treaties, protocols, contracts, and agreements necessitate approval from the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Sanctioning and obtaining national or international loans or grants by the government requires ratification from the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The President must secure a vote of confidence from the Assembly, through a Council of Ministers approval, upon forming the government and prior to conducting any other business. In the event that at least one-fourth of the total members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly raise a question to the President, or if any Assembly member poses a question to a minister regarding their duties, the President or the minister is obligated to attend the Assembly and address the query. All legislation endorsed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly must be submitted to the Guardian Council. Within a maximum of ten days from its receipt, the Guardian Council must review the legislation to ensure its compatibility with Islamic criteria and the Constitution. If any incompatibility is identified, the legislation is returned to the Assembly for further review. Otherwise, the legislation is deemed enforceable. The Mellat Polling Center is an affiliated institution of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. It provides public opinion research to support evidence-based legislation and policymaking.

Eligibility

People need to sign up online and upload their university degree document. Candidates need to be 30 at least and 75 years maximum, have a master's degree or equal Level 3 Islamic seminary, and be Iranian born.

Membership

Iran parliament composition by province en

Currently, there are 290 members of Parliament, elected for a four-year term. There are five seats reserved for religious minorities (1.7% of the total members), with two for the

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

and one each for the

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and Zoroastrians. About 8% of the parliament are women, while the global average is 13%. The parliament can force the dismissal of cabinet ministers through no-confidence votes and can impeach the president for misconduct in office. Although the executive proposes most new laws, individual deputies of the parliament also may introduce legislation. Deputies also may propose amendments to bills being debated. The parliament also drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget. All candidates running for election, and proposed legislation from the assembly must be approved by the Guardian Council. Candidates must pledge in writing that they are committed, in theory and in practice, to the

Iranian constitution The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (, ''Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran'') is the supreme law of Iran. It was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replacing the Constitution of 1906. It ...

Constituencies

The parliament currently has 207 constituencies, including the five

reserved seats In government, several Constitutionalism, constitutional arrangements use reserved political positions, especially when endeavoring to ensure the rights of women, Minority group, minorities or other segments of society, or preserving a political ...

for religious minorities. The remaining 202 constituencies are territorial, each covering one or more of Iran's 368

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Leadership

Members of Parliament elect their speaker and deputy speakers during the first session of Parliament for a one-year term. Every year, almost always in May, elections for new speakers are held in which incumbents may be re-elected. The current Speaker of Parliament is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with First Deputy Speaker Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee and Second Deputy Speaker

Ali Nikzad Ali Nikzad (; born 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician and a member of Iranian parliament. He is an academic and a former cabinet minister. Early life and education Nikzad was born in 1961. He holds a bachelor's de ...

Commissions/Fractions

; Privileged commissions ; Expert commissions

Fractions

*AI and Data governance

Hack

Prior to the 1 March legislative election, on February 14, 2024, the Assembly servers were hacked, revealing monthly payments of 270 million tomans to members. The following day, the voting system was hacked, and journalists were barred from entering.

Current composition

The last election of Parliament of Iran were held on 1 March 2024 and a second round was held on 10 May 2024 in those 22 districts where no candidate received 20% or more of the votes cast. More than 48,000 candidates registered, but leaving about 15,000 candidates to run for the 290 seats representing the 31 provinces. The final results showed that

principlists The Principlists (, ), also interchangeably known as the Iranian Conservatives Open access material licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. and formerly referred to as the Right or Right-win ...

won 233 of 290 seats in the assembly.

Historical Composition

Parliament 1906.svg, 1st Parliament 1909.svg, 2nd Parliament 1914.svg, 3rd Parliament 1921.svg, 4th Parliament 1923.svg, 5th Parliament 1926.svg, 6th Parliament 1928.svg, 7th Parliament 1930.svg, 8th Parliament 1930.svg, 9th Parliament 1930.svg, 10th Parliament 1930.svg, 11th Parliament 1930.svg, 12th Parliament 1930.svg, 13th Parliament 1943.svg, 14th Parliament 1947.svg, 15th Parliament 1950.svg, 16th 1952 Iranian legislative election.svg, 17th Parliament 1930.svg, 18th National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1956 election.svg, 19th National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1960 election.svg, 20th National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1963 election.svg, 21st National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1967 election.svg, 22nd National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1971 election.svg, 23rd National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1975 election.svg, 24th 1980 Iranian legislative election.svg, 25th National Consultative Assembly of Iran following the 1984 election.svg, 26th Parliament 1988.svg, 27th Parliament 1992.svg, 28th Parliament1 1996.svg, 29th Parliament 2000.svg, 30th Parliament1 2004.svg, 31st Parliament1 2008.svg, 32nd Parliament1 2012.svg, 33rd Parliament 2016.svg, 34th Parliament1 2020.svg, 35th Parliament1 2024.svg, 36th

Building

After 1979, the Parliament convened at the building that used to house the Senate of Iran. A new building for the Assembly was constructed at Baharestan Square in central Tehran, near the old Iranian Parliament building that had been used from 1906 to 1979. After several debates, the move was finally approved in 2004. The first session of the Parliament in the new building was held on 16 November 2004. The old building is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 100 rial banknote.Central Bank of Iran
. Banknotes & Coins
100 Rials
. – Retrieved on 24 March 2009.

Gallery

File:Parliamenttehran.jpg, The first building
(1906–1979) File:Kingdom of Iran 10000 Rials Banknote 1978 - Second Pahlavi King (reverse).png, First building on the reverse of a 1970s 10000 Rial banknote File:Palais du Senat iranien (1970).jpg, The

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

building
(1980–2004) File:صد ریال - سری ششم جمهوری (پشت).jpg, Second building on the reverse of the 100 Rial banknote (1985–2005) File:نمای جبهه غربی مجلس.jpg, The third building
(2004–present)

References

''This article incorporates text from the Constitution of Iran, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.''

External links

The official website of the Majlis of Iran

Laws and minutes of meetings of the Majlis of Iran (1906-1979) (persian)History of Iran: Constitutional Revolution
a history of Majlis from 1906 to 1953

* ttp://isna.ir/news/NewsCont.asp?Lang=P&id=456190 A report on moving the Majles to Baharestanbr>The
.
The Majles
Iran's parliament news service.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110722060112/http://www.sssup.it/context_eng.jsp?ID_LINK=7930&area=47 Iran Electoral Archive – Iranian Parliament;Videos
''Video Archive of Iran's Parliament''
* Kourosh Esmāili, ''People & Power: The Iranian Campaign'', Aljazeera, YouTube, April 2008
Part 1Part 2
{{Coord, 35, 41, 30.28, N, 51, 26, 04, E, display=title Legislature of Iran

1979 establishments in Iran

Buildings and structures in Tehran