1989 Iranian supreme leader election

none 1989 Iranian supreme leader election Iran presidential no 2026 2026 Iranian supreme leader election presidential yes 1989 06 04 y 86 members of the Assembly of Experts 49 Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani in his study room (cropped).jpg Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani Portrait of Ali Khamenei - circa 1987 (2).jpg Ali Khamenei Independent Combatant Clergy Association First round Did not stand 14 (16.3%) Second round 60 (69.8%) Withdrew Traditional Righta Origin of the Principlists Islamic Leftb Origin of the Reformists Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini Ali Khamenei (acting) Independent Combatant Clergy Association yes presidential 64 members of the Assembly of Experts 33 6 August 1989 Portrait of Ali Khamenei - circa 1987.jpg Ali Khamenei Combatant Clergy Association 60 (93.8%) Traditional Righta 250px Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (acting) Ali Khamenei Combatant Clergy Association Independent An election for the second supreme leader of Iran was held on 4 June and 6 August 1989 following the death of the first supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini. In the second ballot in June, Ali Khamenei was elected as acting supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts with 60 votes out of 86 due to him not being a Marja', which was required in the Constitution. Eventually, a constitutional referendum held in July passed and Khamenei was officially elected as the permanent supreme leader the following month with 60 votes out of the 64 members of the Assembly of Experts present during the third ballot. Background Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran 1989 Iranian constitutional referendum Because of a conflict of ideology between Ruhollah Khomeini and Hussein-Ali Montazeri, his accepted heir, Khomeini requested a revision of Article 109, which held that successors to Khomeini must be a "source of imitation" or having held the title of Marja'.Reading Khamenei: The World View of Iran's Most Powerful Leader Sadjadpour Karim Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2009 Washington, DC 6, 7 The change to the constitution would not officially come until 6 August 1989, wherein a vote would reduce the qualification to having the authority to issue a fatwa.Katouzian Homa August 6, 1989 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/ir/ir001en.pdf Iranian Studies 47:1, 159-200 23 World Intellectual Property Organization The debate within the Assembly of Experts on the constitutional change included whether the clerical qualification of Marjaʿiyyat present in Article 109 contributed to the quality of leadership Khomeini was seen as maintaining. The Assembly of Experts, made up of many people who were integral to the revolution of 1979http://irandataportal.syr.edu/1982-assembly-of-experts-election 1982 Assembly of Experts Election Iran Data Portal en-US 2019-04-24 and in some cases knew Khomeini, concluded Khomeini's leadership was attributed in part to his religious qualifications, but mostly his political motivation and skill. Election The decision to hold the session was made on 3 June 1989, when Ahmad Khomeini phoned Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at around 3:00 pm to inform him that his father was in critical condition. When it became evident that choosing a successor would be necessary, Rafsanjani and Mohsen Rezaee called Assembly of Experts members in the provinces to Tehran for an emergency meeting. The announcement of Ruhollah Khomeini's death was delayed until after the meeting. Rafsanjani led the meeting in the next morning, and brought the sealed testament that was held in a safe. President Ali Khamenei read the will, after Ahmad Khomeini refused to do so because of grief. Reading the 35 pages of the testament took roughly over two hours. Supreme Leader versus Leadership Council Khamenei reading Khomeini's testament in the meeting|thumbnail The first matter brought up for discussion was whether the Assembly of Experts should mandate an Interim Leadership Council or a single person.Brumberg, Daniel Farhi, Farideh Power and Change in Iran: Politics of Contention and Conciliation 2016 Indiana University Press Indiana Series in Middle East Studies 136 9780253020796Yvette Hovsepian-Bearce 2015 The Political Ideology of Ayatollah Khamenei: Out of the Mouth of the Supreme Leader of Iran Routledge 978-1317605829 104–105 Several names were proposed as members of the council by proponents of a leadership council, including: +OfficialsFirst groupSecond groupThird groupAli KhameneiPresidentAkbar Hashemi RafsanjaniParliament SpeakerAbdul-Karim Mousavi ArdebiliChief JusticeAli MeshkiniAssembly ChairmanMohammad Fazel LankaraniMarja'Abdollah Javadi AmoliMarja' 45 members voted in favor of a single person, and 23 against, who voted for a council leadership. Ali Khamenei and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were both among advocates of a council. To elect a Supreme Leader To establish a leadership council Choice 45 23 Nomination of Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani After a single officeholder was voted over a council, Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani was proposed as the successor. He was considered a distinguished Marja', and after Hussein-Ali Montazeri was dismissed as the heir, he quickly emerged as the "leading candidate" in public discussions.Bruce Ackerman Revolutionary Constitutions: Charismatic Leadership and the Rule of Law Harvard University Press 9780674970687 2019 347 However, Golpaygani was "utterly unknown to the general public" and lacked political experience. He finally received only 14 votes. Nomination of Ali Khamenei After Golpaygani's vote did not meet the threshold, for the second attempt Ali Khamenei was considered and was chosen as the supreme leader. The national press wrote that he was chosen with 60 votes in favor, and 14 votes against.Anoushiravan Ehteshami After Khomeini: the Iranian Second Republic 2002 Routledge 9781134838851 33 Because Khamenei was not a Marja' which was a requirement in the Constitution, he was only elected as acting supreme leader. Ali Meshkini declared that he was chosen because of his close relations with Khomeini, and having played important roles both during the revolution and war, and due to his familiarity with social, economical and political issues; while Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani claimed that Khomeini had wished on his deathbed that Khamenei succeed him.Abrahamian Ervand Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic 1993 University of California Press California 0520081730 https://archive.org/details/khomeinismessays00erva registration 134 In July the constitutional referendum was passed and Khamenei was officially elected as the permanent supreme leader the following month with 60 votes out of the 64 members of the Assembly of Experts present. Analysis right Iran's Supreme Leader election – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty The details of the discussions regarding his nomination were kept a secret for decades.Peterson Scott Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran--A Journey Behind the Headlines 2010 https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781416597285 registration Simon and Schuster 2010 196 9781416597391 In 2008, excerpts of never-before-seen footage of the session was aired by the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, showing that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani played a key role in persuading members of the Assembly of Experts to vote for Khamenei. Rafsanjani declared that "The Imam said: Why [do you think] we don't have [anyone suitable]? Mr. Khamenei [is suitable]." According to the testimony of Rafsanjani in the session, Ayatollah Khomeini had in a meeting in March 1989 pointed that Khamenei would be a suitable successor for him, responding to remarks that no other candidate exists for succession after the dismissal of Montazeri.Amir Arjomand Saïd After Khomeini: Iran Under His Successors 2009 https://archive.org/details/afterkhomeiniira00arjo limited Oxford University Press 2009 36 9780199745760 As a result, Rafsanjani was widely credited as a "kingmaker".Karim Sadjadpour https://carnegieendowment.org/files/sadjadpour_iran_final2.pdf Reading Khamenei: The World View of Iran's Most Powerful Leader Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2009 30 December 2015 right 500px Regardless of the fact that I do not truly deserve to occupy such a position, installing me as the caretaker has technical problems. [My] leadership would be formal [only on paper], not a real one. Well, based on the Constitution, I am not qualified for the job and, from a religious point of view, many of you [all clergy members of the Assembly of Experts] will not accept my words as those of a leader. What sort of leadership will this be? Ali Khamenei 2018 leaked video Khamenei himself opposed the motion, stating "I support shuray-e rahbari [leadership council], according to the Constitution, and am opposed to rahbari-ye fardi [individual leadership]. How can I be a candidate?". He was responded to by Rafsanjani, "rahbari-ye fardi has become the law (qanun shode). There is no alternative." The video shows Khamenei leaving the podium, after saying "on this issue ... well, I am against it anyway", then Rafsanjani announces "Those in favor, stand up!" and an overwhelming majority stand while shouting 'God is great'. In February 2019, the third part of the documentary Narrative of the Leadership revealed that Khamenei had been temporarily elected to act as Supreme Leader until constitutional amendments were approved by the constitutional referendum.Saeid Golkar https://mepc.org/journal/iran-after-khamenei-prospects-political-change Iran after Khamenei: Prospects for Political change 10.1111/mepo.12401 Middle East Policy Spring 2019 26 1 75–88 free subscription The Assembly of Experts had later reconfirmed its decision in August 1989, appointing him to be the permanent supreme leader. Results Ali Khamenei Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani 14 Against 60 14 Unclear 12 72 60 4 Notes References Iran Politics Modern history Category:1989 elections in Iran Category:Assembly of Experts Category:Indirect elections Supreme leader election Category:Iranian supreme leader elections Category:1989 elections in Asia Category:Ali Khamenei Category:1989 in Islam