| Legislative
power is vested in the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis),
and has 270 members. The chief executive is the President, elected
(as is the Assembly) by universal adult suffrage for a 4-year term.
A 12-member Council of Guardians, led by the Iran’s supreme
religious leader, Ayatollah Khamene’i,
formally makes sure that legislation is according to the constitution
and Islamic precepts but, in reality, enjoys extensive powers and
influence over all aspects of policy. Iran is divided into 26 provinces,
each has an appointed governor. |
