Majlis of Iran

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Majlis of Iran

The Majlis of Iran (Persian: مجلس شورای اسلامی, lit. Islamic Consultative Assembly), also called The Iranian Parliament, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Majlis currently has 290 representatives, changed from the previous 270 seats since the February 18, 2000 election.

The current speaker of parliament is Ali Larijani, with first deputy speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar and second deputy speaker Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard. The presiding board member is Mousa Qorbani.

Pre-Revolution Majlis - National Consultative Assembly

Before the Islamic Revolution, Majlis was also the name of the lower house of the Iranian Legislature from 1906 to 1979, the upper house being the Senate.

It was created by the Iran Constitution of 1906 and first convened on 1906-10-06 (Iranian Calendar: 1285-Mehr-13,), soon gaining power under the rule of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Noteworthy bills passed by the Majlis under the Pahlavi Dynasty include the Oil Nationalization Bill (March 15, 1951) and the Family Protection Law (1967), which gave women many basic rights such as custody of children in case of divorce.

Women were not allowed to vote or be elected to the Majlis until 1963, as part of reforms under the Shah's "White Revolution". The reforms were regarded as dangerous, Westernizing trends by traditionalists, especially by the powerful Shia religious leaders, including Ayatollah Khomeini. The events led to a revolt on June 5, 1963 and the exile of Khomeini to Iraq. The twenty-first National Consultative Assembly, which included female representatives, opened on October 6, 1963.

The last session of the Pre-Revolution Majlis was held on 1979-02-07 (18 Bahman 1357 AP).

Islamic Republic - Islamic Consultative Assembly

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Senate was abolished and in the 1989 revision of the constitution, the National Consultative Assembly became the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The Iranian legislature thus became unicameral.

Currently, the Majlis' 290 members, five of whom represent non-Muslim religious minorities, are popularly elected for four-year terms. The Majlis can force the dismissal of cabinet ministers by no-confidence votes and can impeach the president for misconduct in office. Although the executive proposes most new laws, individual deputies of the Majlis also may introduce legislation. Deputies also may propose amendments to bills being debated. The Majlis also drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget. All Majlis candidates and all legislation from the assembly must be approved by the Guardian Council. Even though the Majlis is more democratic in nature than other governments in the region, it is not as powerful as the legislative bodies in, for example, the United States.

From 1979, the Majlis had convened at the building that used to house the Iranian Senate. A new building was built for the Assembly at Baharestan Square in central Tehran, near the old Majlis building that was used from 1906 to 1979. After several debates, the move was finally approved in 2004. The first session of the Majlis was held on November 16, 2004 in the new building.