Iran's Reformists push for constitutional amendments
Reformist parliamentarians are pushing for a third round of constitutional amendments since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Reports have emerged in Iran that mainly Reformist parliamentarians are attempting to revise the country’s constitution. Senior pro-reform parliament member Mostafa Kavakebian said May 8, “We are preparing a bill under the name of the ‘Third Republic.'"
Moderate conservative Ezzatollah Yousefian Molla said May 27 that if more than 200 lawmakers support the initiative, the letter will be sent to the supreme leader.
The “Third Republic” is a reference to constitutional events that took place in 1979 and 1989. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a draft of the constitution was based on the French Constitution by a number of jurists, including Hassan Habibi, the vice president from 1989 until 2001 under Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami. There was no sign of the Guardianship of the Jurist, the present form of government in Iran, in the draft of the constitution, which was later approved by the Council of the Revolution. The Guardian Council held a minor role, only coming into play if the president or the council of the judiciary wanted to object to a law.
1979 constitution
