Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran

"The first and . . . only extended examination of the politics of the Iranian Majles in the post-revolutionary period."--Gary G. Sick, Columbia University In this first major English-language study of the Iranian parliament, Bahman Baktiari analyzes the intense rivalry between competing factions in the parliament--known as the Majles--and describes the political battles that have set the tone for many of the key policy developments in Iran. He examines how elections are organized, how candidacies are approved, and how the parliament is structured internally. Since the revolution of 1979, the institutionalization of revolutionary politics has led to an assertive parliament as a major force in the Islamic Republic but with turnover ratio of 60 percent, one of the highest in the world. Thus the parliamentary politics described in this book is a microcosm of the wider factional politics in revolutionary Iran today. Incorporating personal interviews with more than sixty members of parliament, primary sources from various research centers in Iran, and first-hand observation of parliamentary deliberations, Baktiari's study illuminates an important dimension of the political evolution of this radical Islamic state. Bahman Baktiari is associate professor of political science at the University of Maine and author of studies in the Iranian Journal of International Affairs, Journal of Middle East and South Asian Studies, and Journal of Church and State.