Islamic Coalition Party

Islamic Coalition Party
Secretary-GeneralAsadollah Badamchian
Spiritual leaderRuhollah Khomeini (deceased)[1]
Deputy Secretary-GeneralMohammad-Ali Amani
Head of Central CouncilMostafa Mir-Salim
Political deputyMohammad-Kazem Anbarlouei
FoundedApril 1963; 61 years ago (1963-04)[2]
LegalisedDecember 11, 1990; 33 years ago (1990-12-11)[3]
HeadquartersTehran, Iran
Newspaper
Guild wingUnion of Islamic Associations of Guilds and Bazaaris[4]
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing
ReligionShia Islam
National affiliation
Continental affiliationInternational Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP)[9]
Electoral alliances
Colors  Islamic green
Website
motalefeh.ir

The Islamic Coalition Party[a] (ICP; Persian: حزب مؤتلفه اسلامی, romanized: ḥezb-e moʾtalefe-ye eslāmi) is a conservative political party in Iran that favors economic liberalism.

The ICP is the pivotal organization within Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader and is considered a lay ally of the influential Combatant Clergy Association.[10] Though still very active and influential, the organization experienced a gradual elimination from political power after rise of new conservative rivals in the 2000s[11][1] and some analysts dismiss it as something of a dinosaur heading for extinction.[12]

One of the oldest among the active parties in Iran, the coalition represents older generations of conservatives,[8] and its main base of support is among bazaari merchants and shopkeepers in Grand Bazaar of Tehran and other cities, petite bourgeoisie, and traditionalist clerics.[5][6][11] It is probably the only political organization in Iran which possesses an organic relation with such a social base.[1]

Since 1979, ICP members have held high government offices[4] and are influential players in the economy of Iran, dominating Iran Chamber of Commerce Industries and Mines (ICCIM)[13][1] and having "a say in the appointment of the minister of commerce".[5] The party has also interactions with Mostazafan Foundation, Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and Mashhad-based Astan Quds Razavi.[13]

The ICP is affiliated with parochial schools for boys and girls.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Iranica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Moslem, Mehdi (2002). Factional Politics in Post-Khomeini Iran. Syracuse University Press. p. 54. ISBN 978-0815629788.
  3. ^ "List of Legally Registered Parties in Iran". Khorasan Newspaper. Pars Times. July 30, 2000. p. 4. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Robin B. Wright, ed. (2010), The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy, US Institute of Peace Press, p. 110, ISBN 978-1601270849
  5. ^ a b c d e Bashiriyeh, Hossein (Spring–Summer 2001). "Civil Society and Democratisation during Khatami's First Term". Global Dialogue. 3 (2–3). Centre for World Dialogue: 19–26. ISSN 1986-2601. Archived from the original on 2016-05-07.
  6. ^ a b c d Buchta, Wilfried (2000), Who rules Iran?: the structure of power in the Islamic Republic, Washington DC: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, pp. 14–16, ISBN 0-944029-39-6
  7. ^ Hadian, Nasser (11 January 2016). "Part 2: Why Iran's Elections Matter" (Interview). The Iran Primer. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Barry M. Rubin, ed. (2010), "From Opposition to Mainstream—Motalefeh-yi Islami", Guide to Islamist Movements, vol. 2, M.E. Sharpe, pp. 254–256, ISBN 978-0765641380
  9. ^ "Iran attends 7th ICAPP meeting in Baku", Islamic Republic News Agency, 24 November 2012, retrieved 4 April 2017
  10. ^ Matsunaga, Yasuyuki (2008). "Political Parties". Iran Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Islamic Republic. Vol. 2. Greenwood Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0313341632.
  11. ^ a b Khani, Mohamamd Hassan (17 July 2012). "Political Parties in the Islamic Republic of Iran". Iran Review. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  12. ^ Jedinia, Mehdi (26 August 2010), Ahmadinejad Faces New Conservative Challenge: Relations with Motalefeh party strained by series of disputes, Institute for War & Peace Reporting, archived from the original on 11 June 2017, retrieved 5 June 2017
  13. ^ a b Adelkhah, Fariba (2015). The Thousand and One Borders of Iran: Travel and Identity. Iranian Studies. Vol. 27. Routledge. pp. 25, 165. ISBN 978-1317418979.


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