Reasoning has final say on Constitutional Council's decisions: Spokesman
“Wherever there is a constitution, there is an institution to protect it,” Hadi Tahan-Nazif told Iran’s state TV on Sunday morning.
He added, “In some countries, a judicial authority maybe in charge of safeguarding the constitution while in some others, a tribunal or a constitutional court”.
In Iran, the Constitutional Council, also known as the Guardian Council, is mandated with the task of implementing the rule of law and safeguarding constitutional rights, the spokesman said.
He went on to add that the Council functions similar to a constitutional court and many other similar institutions in other countries.
“A specialized and professional team made up of scholars from both university and Howzeh (seminary) is working in the Council. Each member has one vote and (logical and legal) reasoning is behind every decision the Council makes,” Tahan-Nazif said.
The Constitutional Council is one of the most important and powerful bodies within the Islamic Republic of Iran’s fabric of governance. The Council’s constitutional mandates include interpretation of the Constitution, supervision of elections (approval or disapproval of candidates seeking to run in local, parliamentary, presidential, and Assembly of Experts elections) and the vetting of legislation passed by the country’s Parliament.
The Council is comprised of twelve members: Six Faqihs and six jurists. The Faqihs (Islamic jurists) are appointed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and the jurists are nominated by the head of the Judiciary Branch and confirmed by Parliament. According to Article 91 of the Constitution, the members are elected to serve for a period of six years.