The Formal and Substantive Requirements of the Republic in the System of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Imam Khomeini's political thought and model of state is a relatively new approach in the realm of "Islamic government." In this model, entitled Islamic Republic, the republic is a "genus", and Islam is the "differentia" from other kinds of republics. The importance of this point is that when the republic is the essensial part of a political system, one should expect its consequences to appear in all respects. However, in the political and legal literature, it is not possible to achieve a precise and comprehensive definition of the republic. The absence of this definition, causes various conflicts and disputes at the levels of decision-making and implementation on one hand, and the prevailing discourses on these matters on the other. Adopting an analytical-descriptive method, this article aims to find a comprehensive definition of the republic in the political system of the Islamic Republic and to examine and analyze its theoretical and practical consequences. According to the findings of the article, the presented model in the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on the formal and substantive structure of the republic and within the framework of"modern Great-Approach"; Accordingly, the Islamic Republic is obliged to consider the necessities of this matter in all its aspects to prevent metamorphosis and alter of nature.