Islamic Consultative Assembly Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids National Consultative Assembly
32nd Majles

Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Ali Larijani (C) Since 2 May 2008
First Deputy Speaker	Mohammad-Reza Bahonar (C) Since 26 May 2011
Second Deputy Speaker	Masoud Mir Kazemi (C) Since 28 May 2012
Leader of Minority	Masoud Pezeshkian (R) Since 5 June 2012
Structure
Seats	290

Political groups	Conservatives (182) Reformists (75) Independents (19) Religious minorities (14)
Elections
Last election	2 March and 4 May 2012
Meeting place
Islamic Consultative Assembly Baharestan Tehran Iran
Website
http://www.Majlis.ir http://parlemannews.ir/ http://www.icana.ir/

The National Consultative Assembly of Iran, also known as the Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the main law-making body in Iran. It's like the country's big meeting place where elected representatives discuss and create laws for everyone. Currently, there are 290 representatives who work there. Before 2000, there were 272 seats. The most recent election for this parliament happened on March 2, 2012, and the new group of representatives started their work on May 27, 2012.

A Look Back: The Parliament's Story
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A Look Back: The Parliament's Story

The First Parliament: 1906

The very first national assembly in Iran was called the "Majlis." It was created in 1906, right after a big change in the country called the 1905-1906 revolution. This new Majlis had an important job: to write a constitution for the Persian empire. A constitution is a set of rules that explains how a country should be governed.

The first Majlis had 156 elected members, called delegates. Sixty of these members came from the capital city, Tehran. Larger areas like Azerbaijan had 12 delegates, while smaller areas such as Gilan and Tavala each had 6 delegates.

Changes During Wartime

In 1941, during the time of the 13th Majlis, Britain and Russia entered Persia. This was done to remove German influence from the country during World War II.

From 1941 to 1953, Mohamed Reza Shah was the constitutional monarch. This means he was a king, but his power was limited by the constitution. However, from 1953 until the 1979 revolution, the Shah became an absolute ruler, meaning he had complete power.

Elections for the 14th Majlis took place in 1943. In 1950, a special group met to create a new upper house, like a second parliament, called the senate. Half of the members of this senate were chosen by the Shah. This group also gave the Shah the power to close down the national assembly if he wished. The 21st Majlis was elected in September 1963.

The 1979 Revolution and New Name

After the big changes of the 1979 revolution, Iran changed the name of its parliament. It went from being called the National Assembly to the Islamic Assembly. This new name reflected the country's new focus after the revolution.