The Features of Elections in the Religious Democratic System

Elections as one of the most widespread spheres of political participation are among the methods or tools offered for democratic administration of the society. Although the origin of "elections" is modernity and the west, this does not mean that we cannot suggest a distinctive reading of it appropriate for other local cultures. This study – in line with a belief in possibility of a distinct reading of elections in Islamic regime – has stressed on the distinction between the elections in Islamic regime and what is known as elections in western systems. This is because the "elections" used in Islamic system is a local and inferential reading offered by jurists, is based on the accepted jurisprudential tenets and norms, and enjoys religious ends and functions. Despite its general similarity in formal and structural features with other elections and enjoying their basic functions, it is reread, revised, and reconstructed in a way consistent with the tenets, ends and functions of the Islamic regime.