User:Balag12/sandbox/Iran Consti rewrite

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the supreme law of Iran, and was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979,  replacing the Constitution of 1906. There has been just one amendment since, for the purposes of allowing the current Supreme Leader to take office, which was adopted on 28 July 1989. The constitution has been called a "hybrid" of "theocratic and democratic elements"; while articles one and two vest sovereignty in God, article six mandates popular elections for the presidency and the Majlis, or parliament. These democratic procedures and rights, however, are ultimately subordinate to the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader.

History
It has been reported that the concept of writing a new constitution in Iran came to Ruhollah Khomeini while he was travelling to Paris before the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in the Iranian Revolution. This led to its early draft being written in Paris, which likely added to its French inspirations.

The draft constitution eventually published by the provisional government of Mehdi Bazargan in June 1979 was modelled on the 1958 constitution of the French Fifth Republic. In many ways, this most early draft effectively replaced the Shah with the President. After calls for a wider consultation on the text, a joint summit between the Supreme Leader and the provisional government created the Assembly of Experts for [the] Constitution to re-draft and formally propose the new constitution to the Iranian people.

Ultimately, the offices of President and Prime Minister were retained for the executive branch of government, again based upon the French model.

1989 Amendments
On 24 April 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a decree convening an Assembly for Revising the Constitution. It made several changes in the constitution, in Articles 5, 107, 109, 111, eliminating the need for the Leader to be a marja, or to be chosen by popular acclaim. It made permanent the Expediency Discernment Council to mediate and advise on disagreements between the Parliament and Council of Guardians, and eliminated the post of Prime Minister. Some of the amendments were thought to be included because no marja had given strong support for Khomeini's policies, so a non-marja was required to secure the succession. The amendments were approved by referendum on the 28 July 1989 (on the same day as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected to the first of two terms as President of Iran).