The Legal System of Elections and the Right of Election in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The legal system of elections in Iran is based on the principles of the Constitution, legal institutions and electoral practices. These three sources are parallel and the legal institutions are in line with the Constitution and the practices are in line with the domestic laws. Assessment of the stability and value of the legal system of election is dependent on the association with the said sources; however, this connection cannot be measured with legal criteria. According to the Constitution, the legitimacy of officials and the validity of the affairs are driven from the elections. Legal system of elections cannot be stabilized on the basis of domestic laws, because accumulation of the laws with regard to the elections and their continuous changes in the aftermath of the Revolution together with the defects have led the legal system of elections to a phase of practice and error. Furthermore, the electoral practices and understandings of the domestic laws cannot contribute to the needed stability of the legal system of elections.