Iranian constitutional referendum, 1989
Encyclopedia
A constitutional referendum was held in Iran
on 28 July 1989, alongside presidential elections
. Approved by 97.6% of voters, It was the first and so far the only time the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been amended. It made several changes to articles 5, 107, 109, 111, and added article 176. It eliminated the need for the Supreme Leader
(rahbar) of the country to be a marja
or chosen by popular acclaim, it eliminated of the post of prime minister
, and it created a Supreme National Security Council
.
as Khomeini's successor as Supreme Leader of Iran
and drew up several amendments to the original constitution
. Since the senior mujtahid or Marja
of Iran had given only lukewarm support to Khomeini's principle of rule by Islamic jurist, and Khamenei was not a marja, the original prerequisite that the rahbar (leader) be "a paramount faqih
" (i.e. one of these marja) was dropped from the constitution.
Some changes to the constitution introduced by the Reform Council include:
The amendments were approved by Iranian voters and became law on 28 July 1989.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
on 28 July 1989, alongside presidential elections
Iranian presidential election, 1989
The Iranian presidential election of 1989 took place on July 28, 1989, after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the selection of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the previous President of Iran, as the new Supreme Leader of Iran...
. Approved by 97.6% of voters, It was the first and so far the only time the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been amended. It made several changes to articles 5, 107, 109, 111, and added article 176. It eliminated the need for the Supreme Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
(rahbar) of the country to be a marja
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
or chosen by popular acclaim, it eliminated of the post of prime minister
Prime Minister of Iran
Prime Minister of Iran was a political post in Iran that had existed during several different periods of time starting with the Qajar era until its most recent revival from 1979 to 1989 following the Iranian Revolution.-Prime Ministers of Qajar era:In the Qajar era, prime ministers were known by...
, and it created a Supreme National Security Council
Supreme National Security Council
Supreme National Security Council is the national security council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the current secretary of which is Saeed Jalili. This institution was founded during the 1989 revision of the constitution...
.
Background
On 24 April 1989 while on his deathbed, Khomeini appointed a 25-man Constitutional Reform Council (also known as the Assembly for Revising the Constitution). The council named Ali KhameneiAli Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
as Khomeini's successor as Supreme Leader of Iran
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
and drew up several amendments to the original constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. Since the senior mujtahid or Marja
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
of Iran had given only lukewarm support to Khomeini's principle of rule by Islamic jurist, and Khamenei was not a marja, the original prerequisite that the rahbar (leader) be "a paramount faqih
Faqih
A Faqīh is an expert in fiqh, or, Islamic jurisprudence.A faqih is an expert in Islamic Law, and, as such, the word Faqih can literally be generally translated as Jurist.- The definition of Fiqh and its relation to the Faqih:...
" (i.e. one of these marja) was dropped from the constitution.
Some changes to the constitution introduced by the Reform Council include:
- changing the name of the Majlis-e Melli to the MajlisMajlis' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
-e Islami. - increasing the size of the Assembly of ExpertsAssembly of ExpertsThe Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
to 86 members - giving the Assembly of Experts the authority to convene at least once a year and to determine whether the Supreme Leader was `mentally and physically capable of carrying out his arduous duties.`
- transforming the Expediency Council into a permanent body with members appointed by the Supreme Leader as well as representatives from the three branches of government, the armed forces, the intelligence service, and the Guardian Council.
The amendments were approved by Iranian voters and became law on 28 July 1989.
Members of the council
This is a list of members of Constitutional Amendment Council of Iran, appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini, who reviewed and amended the Constitution of Iran in 1989:- Abbas Ali Amid-Zanjani
- Ebrahim AminiEbrahim AminiAyatollah Haj Shaykh Ebrahim Amini is an Iranian politician in the Assembly of Experts. He is also a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.-External links:*...
- Ahmad Azari-Ghomi
- Asadollah Bayat
- Mohammad Emami-Kashani
- Hassan HabibiHassan HabibiHassan Ebrahim Habibi is an Iranian politician and scholar, presently the Head of Academy of Persian Language and Literature , and a member of the High Council of Cultural Revolution.Habibi was the 1st First Vice President of Iran from 1989 to 2001, eight years under President Rafsanjani and...
- Najafgholi Habibi
- Hossein Hashemian
- Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAkbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAyatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
- Ahmad JannatiAhmad JannatiAyatollah Ahmad Jannati Massah is a hardline Iranian politician, fundamentalist Shi'i cleric and a founding member of Haghani school with close ties with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mesbah-Yazdi...
- Mehdi KarroubiMehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
- Ali KhameneiAli KhameneiAyatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
(deputy chairman) - Hadi KhameneiHadi KhameneiHojatoleslam Hadi Khamenei is an influential Iranian reformist politician, mojtahed and linguist. He is a key member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, and a former deputy of the Majlis of Iran representing a district in Tehran....
- Abolghasem Khaz'ali
- Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
- Ali MeshkiniAli MeshkiniAyatollah Ali Akbar Feyz Meshkini was an Iranian hardline cleric and politician.-Life:Meshkini was an Iranian Azerbaijani born in a village near Meshkinshahr and the Sabalan mountain. He was born as Āli, but preferred the pronounciaton, Ali during his career. He succeeded Ayatollah Montazeri as...
(chairman) - Mehdi Mohammadi-Gilani
- Mohammad Daneshzadeh Mo'men
- Mir-hossein MousaviMir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
- Abdolkarim Mousavi ArdebiliAbdolkarim Mousavi ArdebiliGrand Ayatollah Seyed Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili is an Iranian politician and Twelver shi'a marja.-Early Life:He was born on 28 January 1926 in City of Ardabil. His father, Mir-Abdul Rahim was a cleric and his mother died when he was a child.-Education:His father sent him to Mula-Ebrahim School...
- Mohammad Mousavi-Khoiniha
- Abdollah NooriAbdollah NooriAbdollah Noori is an Iranian reformist politician and cleric. Despite his "long history of service to the Islamic Republic," he became the most senior Islamic politician to be sentenced to prison since the Iranian Revolution when he was sentenced to five years in prison for political and religious...
- Hassan Taheri-Khorramabadi
- Mohammad Reza TavassoliMohammad Reza TavassoliAyatollah Mohammad Reza Tavassoli was an influential Iranian theologian, reformist politician, and a close associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini....
- Mohammad YazdiMohammad YazdiAyatollah Mohammad Yazdii is an Iranian cleric who served as the head of Judiciary System of Iran between 1989 and 1999, following Ayatollah Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili and succeeded by Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi....
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 16,025,459 | 97.6 |
| Against | 398,867 | 2.4 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 32,445 | |
| Total | 16,456,771 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||