Guardian Council

The Guardian Council is a twelve-member Iranian body that reviews legislation for compatibility with Islamic law and the constitution and supervises candidate eligibility for elections.

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Iran’s supreme legal framework, adopted after the 1979 revolution and revised in 1989. It grants the council its powers and sets the criteria for its members.
Islamic Consultative Assembly: The formal constitutional name of Iran’s elected parliament. This is the legislature whose bills the council reviews.
Iranian Revolution: The 1978–1979 upheaval that ended the Pahlavi monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. The revolution created the political order in which the council was established.
Candidate vetting in Iran: The screening of political candidates for eligibility under Iran’s electoral rules. The council’s interpretation of eligibility rules determines access to elections.
Judicial review: The power of courts to assess whether laws or government actions comply with a constitution. Unlike ordinary judicial review, the council’s legislative review is assigned to a political-constitutional body.
Expediency Discernment Council: An Iranian body that resolves disputes between the Guardian Council and the Parliament and advises the supreme leader. It can settle legislative deadlocks created by the council’s vetoes.
Guardian jurist: A jurist appointed to the Guardian Council to assess legislation against Islamic law. Six Islamic jurists make up one half of the council.
Iranian Constitution of 1979: The constitution adopted after Iran’s 1979 revolution, establishing the Islamic Republic’s institutions. It first defined the council’s composition and oversight responsibilities.
Iranian parliamentary election: An election that chooses members of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Council vetting shapes the choices available to parliamentary voters.
Constitutional Court of Turkey: Turkey’s highest court for constitutional review and certain political-party cases. It provides a contrasting model of constitutional review centered in a court.

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