Government of Iran

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Nezâm-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân), known simply as Nezam (Persian: نظام, romanized: Nezâm, lit. 'the system'), is the ruling state and current political system in Iran, in power since the Iranian Revolution and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979.

Its constitution, adopted by an ex post facto referendum, calls for separation of powers, with executive, legislative and judicial systems. The supreme leader of Iran is the country's head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

It is currently one of the three governments using the title Islamic republic.

The Islamic Republic of Iran was created shortly after the Islamic Revolution. The first major demonstrations with the intent to overthrow the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi began in January 1978, with a new, Islam-based, theocratic Constitution being approved in December 1979, ending the monarchy. The Shah left Iran for exile in January 1979 after large strikes and demonstrations against him and his regime paralyzed the country. Ayatollah Khomeini would return in February of the same year after a long period of exile, greeted in the capital of Tehran by several million Iranians. The final collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty occurred shortly after on 11 February when Iran's military declared itself officially "neutral" after guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed forces loyal to the Shah in street fights throughout the country.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a referendum was held by Interim Government of Iran on the 30 and 31 March 1979 (10 and 11 Farvardin 1358), asking people to vote either Yes or No to an Islamic Republic. The results of the referendum were announced soon after by Ayatollah Khomeini on 2 April 1979, with 98.2 percent of the Iranian citizens voting in favor of an Islamic Republic.

On 2–3 December 1979, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran was ratified by a popular referendum. In this referendum, 99.5 percent of Iranian voters approved the constitution. Ten years later, in the summer of 1989, Iranian voters would approve a set of amendments to the Constitution of 1979 in another referendum. The constitution has been called a "hybrid" of "theocratic and democratic elements". While Articles 1 and 2 vest sovereignty in God, Article 6 "mandates popular elections for the presidency and the Majlis, or parliament". All democratic procedures and rights are subordinate to the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader, whose powers are spelled out in Chapter Eight (Articles 107–112).

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is officially a theocratic republic. Article 2 of the Constitution explains the principles of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

Article 2