The Senate (Persian: مجلس سنا, romanized: Majles-e Senā) was the upper house legislative chamber in the Imperial State of Iran from 1949 to 1979. A bicameral legislature had been established in the 1906 Persian Constitutional Revolution but the Senate was not actually formed until after the 1949 Constituent Assembly election, as an expression of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's desire for better distribution of power (similar to many democratic countries). Half of the sixty seats in the senate were directly appointed by the Shah, and the other half were directly elected, fifteen represented Tehran, and the rest were elected from other regions.[2]
Senate | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | of Iran |
| History | |
| Founded | 25 January 1950[1] |
| Disbanded | 11 February 1979 |
| Seats | 60 |
| Elections | |
First election | 1949 |
Last election | 1975 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Tehran, Iran | |
| Constitution | |
| Persian Constitution of 1906 | |
The Senate was disbanded after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the new constitution established a unicameral legislature. As of 2023[update], the former Senate building was used by the Assembly of Experts.
History
editConstitution
editEstablished as per Chapter 3, Article 45 of the Persian Constitution of 1906,
The Members of this Assembly shall be chosen from amongst the well-informed, discerning, pious and respected persons of the Realm. Thirty of them shall be nominated on the part of His Imperial Majesty (fifteen of the people of Tehran, and fifteen of the people of the Provinces), and thirty by the Nation (fifteen elected by the people of Tehran, and fifteen by the people of the Provinces).
Building
editThe Senate House of Iran was designed by architect Heydar Ghiaï in 1955.[3] The construction was led by Rahmat Safai, the dome being one of the most technically challenging projects in the entire endeavor.
The building is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 100 rials banknote.[4]
-
Interior Dome of Senate Chamber, Heydar Ghiaï, Architect -
Column of main Facade, Heydar Ghiaï, Architect
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Members
edit.jpg)
- Mahmoud Hessaby (1951–1963).
- Ali Dashti for 1954-1979.[5]
- Jafar Sharif-Emami, Prime Minister of Iran (1960-1961 & 1978), was a member of the Iranian Senate.[6][7] He was its President[8] for a number of years.
- Jamshid Aalam (1973–1979)
List of speakers
edit| Name | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|
| Ebrahim Hakimi | 19 August 1951 | 1 March 1957 |
| Hassan Taqizadeh | 1 March 1957 | 1 September 1960 |
| Mohsen Sadr | 11 September 1960 | 11 September 1964 |
| Jafar Sharif-Emami | 11 September 1964 | 24 March 1978 |
| Mohammad Sajadi | 24 March 1978 | 10 February 1979 |
Dissolution
editDuring its years of activity, the Senate was once dissolved in May 1961.[9]
Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, the government became unicameral, the senate was dissolved and the new Majlis convened in the senate building.
Elections
editVotes cast
edit| Provincial Capital | Seats | Votes Cast | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1967 | 1971 | ||||||
| Tehran | 15 | 347,358 | 393,538 | 542,877 | ||||
| Qazvin | 1 | 63,272 | 258,616 | |||||
| Mashhad | 2 | 41,179 | 213,750 | 314,941 | ||||
| Esfahan | 1 | 48,613 | 98,117 | 333,120 | ||||
| Tabriz | 2 | 21,450 | 23,392 | 100,299 | ||||
| Ahvaz | 1 | 111,538 | 142,832 | 275,907 | ||||
| Sari | 1 | 149,512 | 173,126 | 265,106 | ||||
| Shiraz | 2 | Unknown | 235,745 | 230,507 | ||||
| Rasht | 1 | Unknown | 21,243 | 168,097 | ||||
| Rezaieh | 1 | 42,712 | 86,999 | 101,998 | ||||
| Kerman | 1 | 26,852 | 68,525 | 240,384 | ||||
| Kermanshah | 1 | Unknown | 197,214 | 143,219 | ||||
| Hamedan | 1 | 153,481 | 155,523 | 221,754 | ||||
| Total Votes | 30 | +1,000,000 | 1,810,004 | 3,196,825 | ||||
| Source: Ministry of Interior[10] | ||||||||
Seats won
edit| Year | Majority party | Loyal opposition | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| 1963 | New Iran Party | Unknown | People's Party | Unknown | [citation needed] |
| 1967 | 26 / 30(87%) |
4 / 30(13%) |
IPU | ||
| 1971 | 28 / 30(93%) |
2 / 30(7%) |
IPU | ||
| 1975 | Resurgence Party | 30 / 30(100%) |
— | IPU | |
Composition
edit1967
editAs of 1967, the composition of the Senate included 48 members of the ruling New Iran Party and 11 members of the loyal opposition People's Party, while one senator was unaffiliated.[11]
| 11 | 1 | 48 |
| People's Party | Independent | New Iran Party |
1971
editAs of 1971, neither the New Iran Party nor the People's Party held a majority in the Senate, and had 27 and 9 members respectively. The remaining 24 senators were nonpartisan.[12]
| 9 | 24 | 27 |
| People's Party | Independent | New Iran Party |
1975
editIn 1975, all senator were members of the country's single-party.
| 60 |
| Resurgence Party |
Major events
edit
- 1950 (February 9), first inaugural session presided over by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
- 1952, Mohammad Mosaddegh managed to obtain power to rule by decree — first, for a six-month period and then extended — due to his popularity. Later, he organized a plebiscite in 1953, won the votes, and dissolved both the Majlis and Senate.[13] Upon Mossadeq's ouster, the legislative bodies were revived.
- 1961, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi dissolved both the Majlis and Senate;[14] some time later they were restored.
- 1979 Senate approves the government of Shapour Bakhtiar.[15]
Bibliography
edit- M. Ghiai, Iran Senate House, Max Gerard Edt.Draeger Paris, 1976 ISBN 2-85119-008-3
References and notes
edit- ^ Haddad Adel, Gholamali; Elmi, Mohammad Jafar; Taromi-Rad, Hassan (31 August 2012). "The Reign of Pahlavi II". The Pahlavi Dynasty: An Entry from Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam. EWI Press. p. 96. ISBN 9781908433022.
- ^ Donald Newton Wilber (2014). Iran, Past and Present: From Monarchy to Islamic Republic. Princeton University Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-1400857470.
- ^ Max Gérard, Iran Senate House Heydar Ghiaï, Editions Draeger, 1976
- ^ Central Bank of Iran. Banknotes & Coins: 100 Rials. – Retrieved on 24 March 2009.
- ^ Muslims (Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices), page 213, ISBN 978-0-415-34882-9
- ^ Iranian.com | Archive Pages
- ^ [http://ibexpub.com/index.php?main_page=pubs_product_book_info&cPath=5&products_id=89 Memoirs of Sharif-Emami, Prime Minister Persian Language ISBN 0-932885-22-5
- ^ IRANIAN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
- ^ "Iran", The Middle East 1963, London: Europa Publications Ltd, 1963, p. 116
- ^ Statistical Yearbook of Iran 1352 (March 1973–March 1974) (PDF), Statistical Center of Iran, June 1976, Chapter IXL: Politics, Table 9: Number of the Elected Senators by Number of Votes Cast and Ostan Centre for 4th, 5th and 6th Senate, p. 509 – via The Iran Social Science Data Portal
- ^ Bahrampour, Firouz (1970), Iran: Emergence of a Middle Eastern Power, Brooklyn, New York: Theo. Gaus' Sons, pp. 37–38
- ^ "Iran", Middle East and North Africa 1974–75, London: Europa Publications Ltd, 1974, p. 342, ISBN 978-0900362736
- ^ Historical Setting: MOSSADEQ AND OIL NATIONALIZATION
- ^ Confidential, U.S. State Department, Central Files IRAN, 1960-January 1963, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs
- ^ "Iranian senate's approval of Shahpour Bakhtiar's government noted" ABC Evening News for Monday, Jan 15, 1979