The Guardian Council, which I have previously discussed, has final say in what candidates may participate in the elections, and can even disqualify a candidate after they have won. While the Parliament is responsible for passing legislation, the Guardian Council has authority to veto it, as witnessed in 2003 when there was a move made to limit their power.
Another section of the government is the Assembly of Experts, which is composed of 88 Islamic Jurists, who oversee the selection of the Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader exercises enormous influence in Iran, selecting heads of unelected positions. Much like the United States President, he can order action through executive orders and oversees military operations and international …show more content…
To many Iranians, secularism is seen as an outgrowth of Western policies and the embrace of it is not a quick one. Since secularism has been a recent introduction to the Muslim world, the acceptance of it is enduring a similar trajectory to the one Western nations faced. France and England were uneasy about giving women suffrage because of fears they would vote for a religious party against the current rule. Considering the deeply unhappy experiences Iran has had with the Western world, it comes as no surprise that there is a rebellion against secularism in Iran, as when they have been most free it has been due to disassociation with the West. Many authors, many of them female, have taken on the daunting task of reinterpreting Quranic writings that put men and women on equal footing. In addition to authors, there a few female parliament members who are pushing for