Constitution of Iran

For the previous constitution, see Persian Constitution of 1906.

Constitution of the
Islamic Republic of Iran
Overview
JurisdictionIslamic Republic of Iran
Created24 October 1979
Ratified3 December 1979
Date effective3 December 1979
Government structure
Branches3
Head of stateSupreme Leader
ChambersIslamic Consultative Assembly
Guardian Council
ExecutivePresident-led Government
Prime Minister (until 1989)
JudiciaryJudicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Supreme Court of Iran
History
First legislature14 March 1980
First executive5 February 1980
Amendments1
Last amended28 July 1989
LocationTehran
Author(s)Assembly of Experts for Constitution
SignatoriesConstitutional referendum by the citizens of Iran
SupersedesPersian Constitution of 1906

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran[1][2] (Persian: قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران, 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,[3][4] and went into force replacing the Constitution of 1906.[5] It has been amended once, on 28 July 1989.[6] The constitution was originally made up of 175 articles in 12 chapters,[7] but amended in 1989 to 177 articles in 14 chapters.[8]

It has been called a hybrid regime of theocratic and democratic elements. Articles One and Two vest sovereignty in God and Article Six "mandates popular elections for the presidency and the Majlis, or parliament."[9] Main democratic procedures and rights are subordinate to the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader, whose powers are spelled out in Chapter Eight (Articles 107–112).[9][10]

  1. ^ "قانون". Archived from the original on 7 December 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  2. ^ "Constitution". Islamic Parliament of Iran. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  3. ^ Mahmood T. Davari (1 October 2004). The Political Thought of Ayatollah Murtaza Mutahhari: An Iranian Theoretician of the Islamic State. Routledge. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-134-29488-6.
  4. ^ Eur (31 October 2002). The Middle East and North Africa 2003. Psychology Press. p. 414. ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2.
  5. ^ Constitutional Background Archived 7 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Hauser Global Law School Program
  6. ^ "Constitutional Background". Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference cotiroi-Algar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Constitute was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Francis Fukuyama (28 July 2009). "Francis Fukuyama: Iranian constitution democratic at heart – WSJ". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  10. ^ Richard Horowitz. "A Detailed Analysis of Iran's Constitution – World Policy Institute" (PDF). worldpolicy.org. Retrieved 26 August 2022.