The impact of the Iranian constitution on the law making power of the parliament (Majlis)

Vakilian, Hassan

Abstract

In this research the law making power of the Iranian parliament is studied at two levels: Firstly, the power of the parliament according to the Constitution is explored. Secondly its power in real politics is analysed. It is shown that the law making power of the parliament as an elected institution can be limited by the unelected institutions which are enshrined in the Constitution. Also the political composition of the elected institutions (parliament and executive) whether they are Conservative-dominated or Reformist-dominated, can define the actual law making power of the parliament. It is concluded that the law making power of the parliament oscillates on a spectrum: at one end there is a weak law making legislature and at the other end one can see a policy influencing legislature.

The main content of the chapters is as follows: The first chapter is dedicated to introduction where the research questions and thesis methodology is explained. In the second chapter the most important literature, especially that which considers the external and internal variables and typology of legislatures, is reviewed. In the third chapter the historical evolution of the Iranian Parliament in the Qajar, First and Second Pahlavi Eras is briefly discussed. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the Iranian parliament in the Islamic Republic Era. The key concepts which can explain the logic of the distribution of power within the Iranian Constitution, the relationship of the parliament to the executive power (elected institution) and other power centres ( unelected institutions), and the type of the political regime on the basis of the amended Constitution of 1989, is explained. Theoretical propositions are tested in chapter five.

The Sixth and Seventh terms of the parliament, where the political composition changed fundamentally from one to the other, are chosen for case study and their law making power during the budget process analysed. The dichotomy of elected and unelected institutions is applied to the case in this chapter. Then the contribution of the elected and unelected institutions during the budget process is explained. The next part of this chapter considers the Sixth Majlis and its political context in general. The Majlis and executive interactions and the interaction of these two elected institutions with the Guardian Council and Expediency Council especially during the budget process, are analysed. The same approach is deployed for the Seventh Majlis which in terms of political composition was in stark contrast to the Sixth Majlis. It is shown how the political composition of the elected and unelected institutions can increase or decrease considerably the law making power of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The overall conclusion of the thesis is provided in chapter six.

Citation

Vakilian, H. (2008). The impact of the Iranian constitution on the law making power of the parliament (Majlis). (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212336

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: May 18, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 22, 2023
• Keywords: Politics; International studies
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212336
• Additional Information: Department of Politics and International Studies, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Mar 1, 2008