Iran

C

Local Government

Iran consists of 25 provinces (ostans), which are divided into 195 counties and 500 districts; districts are subdivided into villages and municipalities. Provincial and district officials are appointed by the central government. Municipalities elect their own mayors, who may hold views opposed to those of the central government.

D

Political Parties

After the 1979 revolution the Islamic Republican Party (IRP) and its allies dominated the national legislature. In 1987, however, the IRP was disbanded and no political parties were allowed to contest the 1988 parliamentary elections. Political parties were also banned in the 1996 parliamentary balloting, but two rival Islamic factions became apparent: the Servants of Construction, the more reform-minded faction, loyal to President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani; and the Militant Clergy Association founded by the former Speaker of the Majlis Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, which is more anti-Western and concerned with social justice. A conservative Islamist group, Abadgaran (the Developers of Islamic Iran), backed the mayor of Tehran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his successful campaign to become president in 2005.

E

Health and Welfare

Average life expectancy at birth in 2008 was 69 years for men and 72 years for women. Health care in Iran is overseen by the national department of health. Programmes have been undertaken to combat tuberculosis, smallpox, trachoma, and, more successfully, malaria. Opium addiction, once in decline, has again become a major social problem. In 2004 there were 2,223 people per doctor; more than 25 per cent of doctors are in Tehran. The shortage of doctors in other parts of the country has been a serious problem, exacerbated by the exodus of professionals after 1979. In 2008, Iran had an infant mortality rate of 37 deaths per 1,000 live births, while in 2000, 6 per cent of the country’s GDP was spent on health care.

F

Defence

A two-year period of military service is required of all male citizens of Iran. In 2004 the regular Iranian armed forces comprised an army of 350,000 men (around 75 per cent conscripts), a navy of 18,000, and an air force of 52,000. There is also the Revolutionary Guard corps of around 140,000 divided into army (120,000) and naval (20,000) units. The Revolutionary Guard’s duties include ensuring that revolutionary Islamic values are practised by the domestic population. Iran is believed to be in the process of developing chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

G

International Organizations

Iran is a member of the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).