The Governments of the Middle East:

Israel Saudi Arabia

Iran

SS7CG5 The student will explain the structures of the modern governments of Southwest Asia:a. Compare the parliamentary democracy of the State of Israel, the monarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the theocracy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, distinguishing the form of leadership and the role of the citizen in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.

Standard:

Israel’s Government

• Form of Government: Unitary

• Type: Parliamentary Democracy

• Head Of State: President

• Head of Government: Prime Minister

• Type of Legislature: Unicameral

• Name: The Knesset

• Rule of Law: The 11 Basic Laws

Israel’s Prime Minister Current PM:

Benjamin Netanyahu

How Elected: Popular vote.

Term Started: March 31, 2009

Political Party: Likud

Duties: Head of the Government; Controls all government affairs.

Israel’s President

• Current President: Shimon Peres

• Political Party: Kadima• Term Started: July 15,

2007• Length of Term: 1 for 7

Years• How Elected: Appointed

by the Knesset • Duties: Head of State;

Mostly ceremonial.

Israel’s Legislature: The Knesset

• Type: Unicameral; Meaning having one house or chamber.

• Term: 4 Years

• Number of Seats: 120

• Duties: Enacts laws; Elects the president; Supervises the work of the government; Has power to remove the President and State Comptroller from office; Can dissolve itself and call for new elections.

Elections and Citizens RolesElections: Nationwide

popular vote

Frequency: Every four years.

Ballot: Voters vote for a party list not a particular person.

Who can vote: Every Israeli citizen over the age of 18.

Other Citizens Roles: All Israeli citizens over the age of 18 must serve in the National Military. Three years for men and two years for women.

Saudi Arabia’s Government

Form of Government: Unitary

Type: Absolute Monarchy

Head of State: King

Head of Government: King

Legislative Body: King/Council of Ministers/Consultative Council

Rule of Law: Basic Law of Governance and Shari’ah Law also known as Islamic Law

Saudi Arabia’s King

• Current King: Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud

• Appointed: August 1, 2005; Upon the death of King Fahad.

• Term: Lifetime

• Duties: Ensures the application of the Shari'ah and the State's general policy, and supervises the protection and defense of the nation.

Council of Ministers

Name: Also known as the Cabinet

How elected: Chosen by the King.

Duties: Advises the King and facilitates the country’s development, drafting and overseeing implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, education and defense policies as well as the general affairs of the State.

Consultative Council

•Name: Majlis al-Shura

• Number of Seats: 150

• How Chosen: Appointed by the King

• Term: 4 Years

• Duties: Deal with human rights, education, culture, information, health and social affairs, services and public utilities, foreign affairs, security, administration, Islamic affairs, economy and industry, and finance.

Shari’ah Law and Personal Freedoms

• Basic Law: Shari’ah Law; it refers to the body of Islamic law.

• It serves as a guideline for all legal matters in Saudi Arabia.

• In Saudi Arabia, there is no difference between the sacred and the secular aspects of society.

• Muslims derive Shari’ah law primarily from the Holy Qur’an.

• Personal Freedoms: All personal freedoms are regulated by Shari’ah Law.

• Voting: Saudi citizens do not vote for their government officials.

Iran’s Government

• Form: Unitary/Semi-Oligarchic

• Leaders: Supreme Leader and President

• Type of Legislature: Unicameral

• Name: Islamic Consultative Assembly

• Other: The Guardian Council; The Expediency Council

• Rule of Law: Shari’ah Law

Iran’s Supreme Leader

Name: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Assumed Power: June 4, 1989

How Chosen: The Assembly of Experts

Term: Lifetime

Duties: Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations; and has the only power to declare war. The heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Council of Guardians are appointed by the Supreme Leader.

Iran’s President• Name: Hassan Rouhani

• Elected: June 14, 2013; approved August 3, 2013; sworn in August 4, 2013

• Method of Appointment: Popular Election

• Term: 4 Years

• Duties: Implementation of the Constitution and for the exercise of executive powers, except for matters directly related to the Supreme Leader. The President appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers, coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the legislature.

Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly• Name: Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami

• Seats: 290

• Term: 4 Years

• How Chosen: Popular Election

• Duties: Drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget.

The Guardian Council

Members: 12

How Chosen: 6 appointed by the Supreme Leader and 6 elected by the Islamic Consultative Assembly

Duties: Interprets the constitution and may reject bills from parliament deemed incompatible with the constitution or Sharia Law.

The Expediency Council

• Current Membership: 28

• How Chosen: Appointed by the Supreme Leader

• Duties: Has the authority to mediate disputes between Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Council of Guardians, and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader, making it one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country.

The Assembly of Experts

Members: 86

Terms: 8 Years

Duties: Elects the Supreme Leader and has the constitutional authority to remove the Supreme Leader from power at any time.

Elections and Personal Freedoms

• Who Can Vote: Elections are open to all Iranian citizens who are at least 15 years old.

• Personal Freedoms: Individual freedoms are addressed in the Iranian Constitution which is based on Shari’ah Law.