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Comparison of Saudi and Iran
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Government
INSTRUCTOR: Dilshad Bano
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Submitted by: Saadia Syed

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Government of Iran

Country name

 Also known as: Islamic Republic of Iran

 conventional short form: Iran
 local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
 local short form: Iran
 former: Persia

 Government type
 The government type is theocratic republic

 Capital
 Name: Tehran

 Administrative divisions
 31 provinces

 Independence
 1 April 1979

Constitution

According to Iran's Constitution, the Supreme Leader is responsible for the delineation and
supervision of "the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran," which means that he sets the
tone and direction of Iran's domestic and foreign policies. The Supreme Leader also is
commander-in-chief of the armed forces and controls the Islamic Republic's intelligence and
security operations; he alone can declare war or peace. He has the power to appoint and dismiss
the leaders of the judiciary, the state radio and television networks, and the supreme commander
of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also appoints six of the twelve members of the
Council of Guardians, the powerful body that oversees the activities of Parliament and
determines which candidates are qualified to run for public office.

Legal system

Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

Elections
Elections:
Supreme leader appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts. President is elected by popular
vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term and additional nonconsecutive term).
Election last held on 14 June 2013 (next presidential election to be held in June 2017)
Election results: Hasan Fereidun RUHANI elected president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)

Head of government: President HasanFereidun RUHANI (since 3 August 2013); First Vice
President Eshaq JAHANGIRI (since 5 August 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme
Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries
Parts of the Executive branch of government are three oversight bodies: 1) Council of Guardians
of the Constitution or Council of Guardians or Guardians Council
(Shora-ye Negban-e Qanon-e Asasi) determines whether proposed legislation is both
constitutional and faithful to Islamic law, vets candidates in popular elections for suitability, and
supervises national elections;
Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khoebregan), an elected consultative body of senior clerics
constitutionally mandated to select, appoint, supervise, and dismiss the Supreme Leader;
Expediency Council or the Council for the Discernment of Expediency (Majma-ye- Tashkhis-e
-Maslahat-e- Nezam) resolves legislative issues when the Majles and the Council of Guardians
disagree and since 1989 has been used to advise national religious leaders on matters of national
policy; in 2005 the Council's powers were expanded to act as a supervisory body for the
government

Legislative branch

Unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami or Majles (290 seats;
members elected by popular vote from single and multimember districts to serve four-year
terms)

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court (consists of a president and NA judges).The judiciary branch of
Iran's government is largely controlled by the Supreme Leader. The president is responsible for
setting the country's economic policies. Though he has nominal rule over the Supreme National
Security Council and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, in practice the Supreme Leader
dictates all matters of foreign and domestic security. Eight vice presidents serve under the
president, as well as a cabinet of 22 ministers. The Council of Ministers must be confirmed by
Parliament.

Public courts

Public courts deal with civil and criminal cases.

"Revolutionary" courts

Deal with certain categories of offenses, including crimes against national security, narcotics
smuggling. Decisions rendered in revolutionary courts are final and cannot be appealed.

Special Clerical Court

The rulings of the Special Clerical Court, which functions independently of the regular judicial
framework and is accountable only to the Supreme Leader, are also final and cannot be appealed.
The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics, although it has also
taken on cases involving lay people.

Political parties and leaders

Formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in Iran and most conservatives still
prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties. Often political parties or
coalitions are formed prior to elections and disbanded soon thereafter; a loose pro-reform
coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal
groups and organizations, achieved considerable success in elections.

Political pressure groups and leaders

Groups that generally support the Islamic Republic:

 Ansar-e Hizballah
 Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader
 Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh)
 Islamic Engineers Society
 Tehran Militant Clergy Association (MCA; Ruhaniyat)
 active pro-reform student group:
 Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU)
 opposition groups:
 Freedom Movement of Iran
  Green Path movement [Mehdi KARUBI, Mir-Hosein MUSAVI]
 Marz-e PorGohar
 National Front
 various ethnic and monarchist organizations
 armed political groups repressed by the government:
 Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI)
 Harekat-e Ansar-e Iran (splinter faction of Jundallah)
 Jaysh l-Adl (formerly known as Jundallah)
 Komala
 Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)
 People's Fedayeen
 People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

 None
 Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy.

Diplomatic representation from the US

 None
 The US Interests Section is located in the Embassy of Switzerland.

Government of Saudi Arabia:

Country name

 Also known as: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

 conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
 local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
 local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

 Government type
 Monarchy

 Capital
 Name: Riyadh

 Administrative divisions
 13 provinces
  Independence
 23 September 1932

Constitution

Basic Law of Government, issued by royal decreeon1 March 1992 .Its serves as the
constitutional framework and is based on the Qur'an and the life and tradition of the Prophet
Muhammad (2013)

Legal system

The legal system is based on the Islamic code of Sharia with its judges and lawyers forming part
of the country's religious leadership or ulama .There are also non-Sharia government tribunals
which handle disputes relating to specific royal decrees. Final appeal from both Sharia courts and
government tribunals is to the King of Saudi Arabia and all courts and tribunals follow Sharia
rules of evidence and procedure.

Elections

Elections: none
The monarchy is hereditary. An Allegiance Commission created by royal decree in October 2006
established a committee of Saudi princes that will play a role in selecting future Saudi kings, but
the selection process becomes effective after King ABDUALLAH's successor inherits the throne.

Suffrage

The voting age is 21 years (male). Local elections in 178 municipalities were first held in 2005,
and only male citizens over 21 were allowed to vote. In September 2011, shortly before the
municipal elections, King Abdullah announced that in subsequent municipal elections, women
would be allowed to run and to vote. The next municipal elections are scheduled for 2015

Executive branch

The King is also the prime minister, chief of state, the head of government, and commander in
chief of the military of Saudi Arabia. The monarchy is hereditary, so there are no elections for
the role
Chief of state: King and Prime Minister SALMAN bin Abdul al-Aziz Al Saud. Heir Apparent
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef .Deputy Second Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and
the second deputy crown prince Muhammad bin Salman.
Head of government: King and Prime Minister SALMAN bin Abdul al-Aziz Al Saud and the
Deputy Prime Minister is Muhammad bin Nayef. SALMAN bin Abdul al-Aziz Al Saud Second
Deputy Prime Minister is Muhammad bin Salman cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
monarch every four years and includes many royal family member.

Legislative branch

This is made up of a Consultative Council (also known as Majlis as-Shura or Shura Council)
advises the King on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia. The Consultative Council
currently consists of 150 members appointed by the King for a four-year renewable term. Based
on their experience, members are assigned to committees. There are 12 committees that deal with
human rights, education, culture, information, health and social affairs, services and public
utilities, foreign affairs, security, administration, Islamic affairs, economy and industry, and
finance

In October 2003, the Council announced its intent to start elections for half of the members of
the local and provincial assemblies (there are 13 provinces, each with a governor and deputy and
its own council made up of at least 10 citizens), and one-third of the members of the Consultative
Council incrementally over a period of four to five years. No elections have yet been announced.
In September 2011, King Abdullah announced that women would have the right to be appointed
to the Consultative Council. And, in January 2013, the King appointed 30 women to serve four-

Judicial branch

The country is governed and justice is administered according to Islamic law. As reported on the
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Washington, DC) website:
The Saudi court system consists of three main parts. The largest is the Shari’ah Courts, which
hear most cases in the Saudi legal system. The Shari’ah courts are organized into several
categories: Courts of the First Instance (Summary and General Courts), Courts of Cassation and
the Supreme Judicial Council.

Sharia courts
The Sharia courts have general jurisdiction over most civil and criminal cases

Non-Sharia tribunals
There are also non-Sharia courts covering specialized areas of law, including the Board of
Grievances, the Specialized Criminal Court, created in 2008, and the Supreme Court

Judges
The judicial establishment is composed of qadis, who give binding judgments in specific court
cases, and muftis and other members of the ulama, who give highly influential legal opinions
(fatwas). The Grand Mufti (currently, Abdul-Aziz Al ash-Sheikh) is the most senior member of
the judicial establishment as well as being the highest religious authority in the country; his
opinions are highly influential among the Saudi judiciary.

Political parties and leaders

The political parties and leaders is not present in Saudi Arabia because Saudi Arabia is monarchy
country. There are no political parties in Saudi Arabia.

Political pressure groups and leaders

 Ansar Al Marah (supports women's rights); Freedom and Justice Coalition (supports Shia
rights)
 other: gas companies; religious groups

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission: Ambassador Adil al-Ahmad al-JUBAYR

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph WESTPHAL.

References
On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines--and Future AUTHOR
KAREN ELLIOT HOUSE
http://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/iran.saudi-arabia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/inside/govt.html
https://www.hziegler.com/articles/political-system-of-saudi-arabia.html