1st Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts (Persian مجلس مؤسسان, DMG maǧlis e - mu ʾ assasān ) was a member of the Iranian Revolution and had the task of drafting the new constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Assembly of Experts met on August 19, 1979 together for the first time, on 15 November 1979, the new constitution was adopted.
Prehistory
Ruhollah Khomeini had them ready already in exile in France in Neauphle -le- Château a draft constitution. His new Iranian constitution was composed of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran hervorgangenen Constitution of 30 December 1906, the Constitution of the Fifth French Republic.
On February 2, 1979 announced Khomeini:
"I will form an Islamic government and to submit an already worked out, but not yet published constitution for an Islamic republic to the people in a referendum. "
The first transitional Prime Minister of Iran, Mehdi Bazargan, Khomeini was later commissioned in parallel, a constitutional draft. Khomeini rejected the draft from however and wanted a consisting only of clerics of Experts, which would prepare the new constitution.
Referendum and election law
After the constitutional referendum in March 1979 and the official vote of 98.2 % for an Islamic republic and against the Shah, there were within the clerical leadership group also moderate forces were in favor of a constituent assembly. Ruhollah Khomeini's strict stance on Velayat -e faqih ( rule of the Supreme Leader ), however, did not provide for the support of all political and social groupings Constitution.
To fairly establish a balance, according to the electoral law, the members of the Assembly of Experts were indeed elected on 30 June 1979, however, the qualification requirements for candidacy could be met only by Islamic law or religious scholars. At the latest with the promulgation of this electoral law, the Iranian revolution, a revolution of all opposition movements had failed. A worn by all social movements draft constitution could no longer be implemented.
Selection and operation
In the election on 3 August 1979 428 Islamic legal scholars were proposed, which were previously nominated by the political and religious groups, which could only be from the Revolutionary Council, an inner circle around Khomeini approved. Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani was chairman; led by Mohammad Beheshti Islamic Republican Party (IRP ) won 60 of the 73 seats.
The 73 members of the Assembly of Experts was originally brought together to draw up a constitution within 31 days on 19 August 1979, submitted. Already on September 12, 1979 approved the Assembly of Experts, the basic principle of the Iranian Constitution, the rule of the religious scholars. In fact, a confirmation and complete takeover of the draft Constitution, the Khomeini had them ready already in exile in France. Point of contention was just the position of the President. 53 of the 73 members of the Assembly of Experts agreed on 15 November 1979, the draft constitution at 8 against, 4 abstentions and eight invalid votes.
End
With the confirmation of the Constitution by referendum on December 3, 1979 ended the work of the Assembly of Experts. The result of the referendum of 30 March 1979, 98.2 % agreement was accepted by the Assembly of Experts in Article 1 of the Iranian constitution to confirm the legitimacy of an Islamic republic. The constitution was adopted on 3 December 1979 after official data with the same high approval. Unofficial reports are of a boycott of the elections in which only one-third of the electorate voted and approval of approximately 60%.