List of political parties in Iran
Encyclopedia
Only candidates and parties that do not oppose the religious system of the governance (Velayate faqih) can participate in elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran
. This is enforced by the clerical Guardian Council
which vets candidates.
Offices open to election on a national level in the Islamic Republic
include, the president
, the parliament (or Majlis
), and an Assembly of Experts
(which elects the Supreme Leader
of Iran). After the banning of the last two Opposition parties in 1983, parties and candidates usually have operated in loose alignments within two main coalitions, the conservative (osool-garayan) and the reformist (eslah-talaban) both of them coming from the former single-party Islamic Republic Party. Since 2009, only the conservatives have been allowed to participate and prominent reformist parties have been banned and their members jailed.
see also List of political parties in Iran.
The rest of the Opposition is insignificant : they are rather tiny clubs of individuals than political parties and do not influence the political arena of Iran. But 9 of them are of some importance :
- The Tudeh Party of Iran and the Communist Party of Iran (of Ebrahim Alizadeh), which were important parties in the past, exist today in a very anemic state.
- Worker-Communist Party of Iran was formerly powerful and led by the charismatic Mansoor Hekmat before splitting into three weak parties see when the latter died in 2002. Among the three parties the Hekmatist Party is the most vocal.
- National Resistance Movement of Iran (NAMIR) of Shapour Bakhtiar
http://www.cyrusnews.com/audio/1985%20IRTV.wmv, the Party of the Iranian Nation (PIN) of Darius and Parvaneh Foroohar and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (DPIK) of Abdul Rahman Qassemloo, although prominent parties in the past, have almost been destroyed with the killings of their charismatic leaders by the Islamic Republic. The NAMIR has almost ceased to exist, whereas the PIN and the DPIK struggle to expand their activities. In December 2006, the DPIK split another time into two groups.
- The Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) has isolated itself by rejecting joint actions or even dialogue with non-communist parties (they do not have a good relation even with some socialist/communist parties deemed not too radical or "traitor" like the Tudeh Party or the Fadaian-Majority). http://www.etehadefedaian.org/?page=article&nid=1296 The Party split into two groups in August 2009.
- The social-democratic Komala (not to be confused with the communist Komalah with an h), although an important party, can't be classified among the four powerful party of the Opposition cited above since its modest activities are only concentrated in the kurdish-inhabited provinces of Iran. Furthermore Komala split into two parties in August 2007 http://www.komala.org/farsi/aqlit/071004_BahmanAlyar.htm.
- The Islamic Society of the Iranians has few members but has a prominent leader (Abolhassan Banisadr
).
- The Union of People's Fedaian of Iran is the Iranian Party with the most ties with other Opposition parties (it has warm relations even with the Rahe Kargar). It has been designated as the twin sister of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority (OIPF-M) but has far fewer members. Some members told their Party will soon merge with the OIPF-M.
and the Workers Left Unity - Iran
- are just an alliance of two parties : the religious-leftist People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran and the marxist Organization of Iranian People Fadaee Guerillas for the first one and the Iranian fedaian communist league and the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) for the latter.
, son of the late Grand Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari, and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority created the United Republicans of Iran (URI), a federation of three pro-republican parties : http://www.iran-press-service.com/articles_2004/Jan_04/iranian_republicans_meet_8104.htm,http://www.jomhouri.com/plus/documents/founding_assembly_report.htm . Over one thousand persons took part in the inauguration of the URI in Berlin.
At the same time, in Paris, the Union of People's Fedaian of Iran, the Organization of Iranian Socialists and the Provisional Council of Iranian Left Socialists http://www.sedaye-ma.org/web/show_article.php?file=src/didgah/darvishpour_11092006.htm created another alliance named the Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran (DSRI).
Both the URI and the DSRI are still discussing how to forme a single union to form a strong "republican" (=leftist) force http://jomhouri.com/a/01ann/006375.php. Both have also invited two ethnical parties (the DPIK and the Komala), a centrist party (the National Front of Iran), a far left party (the Provisional Council of Iranian Left Socialists) and even a conservative party (the Islamic Society of the Iranians) to these negotiations which took place on September 22, 2007. http://www.etehadefedaian.org/?page=article&nid=1843; http://www.kar-online.com/yaddasht/yaddasht-khaligh-4.html
Moreover, since September 2005 a greater spectrum of these exiled parties who used to be very divided (even among groups of similar philosophies) have begun to unite. Reza Pahlavi had dinner in Berlin with some of the leftists who had helped to overthrow his father, and it generated outrage on both the left and the right.
For the first time, a Republican (the late spokesman of the National Front of Iran) Parviz Varjavand wrote in an article in August 2006 http://www.cyrusnews.com/news/en/?mi=1&ni=487&y=1 that Democracy is compatible with both a Constitutional Monarchy and a Republic and that the issue should not be between Constitutional Monarchy and Republic. The Green Party of Iran led by Kayvan Koboli said the same thing months before Parviz Varjavand : http://www.iran-e-sabz.org/articles/ticle5.html. Heshmat Raeisi, ex-member of the Central Committee of both the Fedai and the Tudeh Party http://www.iisg.nl/image_sound/video/iran.php#RAEI, participated in the sixth Congress of the (monarchist) Constitutionalist Party of Iran in November 2006 and gave a speech : http://irancpi.net/goftarha/media_9_0.html; in February 2007 Dariush Homayoun of the rightist Constitutionalist Party of Iran wrote a friendly letter to the major leftist party (the OIPFG (M)) http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/ahzab/more/11939/. Hossein Bagherzadeh of the latter party answered : http://talash-online.com/didgha/matn_105_1.html.
A political union is emerging:
Ten parties which are communist, socialist, social-democrat and also liberal-democrat : the Fadaian-Majority, the Union of Fadaian, the People's Democratic Party, the Tudeh, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Komala, the United Republicans, the Provisional Council of Iranian Socialists, the Democratic and Secular Republicans and the National Front. http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=12817, http://www.komala.org/farsi/xarj-k/2010/100315_KonfrancHoland.htm, http://www.iran-chabar.de/news.jsp?essayId=28100, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=11933, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=14260, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=14306.
Some critics such as Amir Jahanchahi note that such a political union may succeed only if it manages to include the two other major political groups which are the Constitutionalist Party and the People's Mojahedin. That is why he created the 'Green wave' to promote a provisional government in exile. In August 2010, Fereidoon Ahmadi from the Fadaian-Majority made a speech in the Congress of the Constitutionalist Party.
The well-known Communist Party which used to be very powerful. No longer very active. The oldest political party in Iran still alive.
Now, only a minority of the original members remains in the party. The majority was murdered by the Islamic Republic (especially in 1988), others left the party to pursue cultural activities or to join other political parties (such as the United Republicans of Iran), but some others were expelled from the Tudeh Party and created six other Tudeh groupings :
The four splits of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran :
The two Maoist parties :
The original communist motherparty was called Organization of Iranian People's Fadai Guerrillas. Since 1980, it has split dozens of times. Today there are 9 parties, 7 of them are still communist. The other two (which constitute the majority of the members) have evolved into democratic socialist parties.
The Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority is the most prominent.
The United Republicans of Iran (URI) and the Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran (DSRI) are not really parties but federations of parties.
Religious people against the Islamist ideology : they are against the application of the Sharia but at the same time oppose everything opposed to what they call "the main principles of Islam". They believe in the equality between men and women and at the same time their female supporters are mostly veiled. The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), which abandoned its armed opposition since 2001, is considered to be the main Opposition to the Islamic Republic. The Muslim-Democrats who remained in Iran are close to the Reformists and grouped in a coalition named the Nationalist-Religious Forces whose spokesman is Ezzatollah Sahabi
. The main party of the coalition is the Freedom Movement Party of Ebrahim Yazdi
, but also the Movement of Muslim Militants of Habibollah Peyman
. It should be noted that most founding members of the PMOI used to be members of the Freedom Movement Party.
Most of them are republican but some favor a constitutional monarchy as in Spain. The National Front and the Constitutionalist Party of Iran (Liberal Democrat) are the most active. Some of them are united in an organization called "Melliun" http://www.melliun.org. The National Front has the particularity of being the only opposition party to have an official bureau in Tehran :
Among the ethnic parties, only the Kurdish DPIK and Komala are active. Some of these parties formed a union called "Congress of Iranian Nationalities" whose activities are mainly done by both parties cited above : http://www.iranfederal.org/
For more information about these parties see: Politics of Khuzestan
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. This is enforced by the clerical Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
which vets candidates.
Offices open to election on a national level in the Islamic Republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
include, the president
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
, the parliament (or Majlis
Majlis of Iran
The National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
), and an Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
(which elects the Supreme Leader
Supreme leader
A supreme leader typically refers to a figure in the highest leadership position of an entity, group, organization, or state, who exercises strong or all-powerful authority over it. In religion, the supreme leader or supreme leaders is God or Gods...
of Iran). After the banning of the last two Opposition parties in 1983, parties and candidates usually have operated in loose alignments within two main coalitions, the conservative (osool-garayan) and the reformist (eslah-talaban) both of them coming from the former single-party Islamic Republic Party. Since 2009, only the conservatives have been allowed to participate and prominent reformist parties have been banned and their members jailed.
Parties inside Iran
These parties can operate inside the Islamic regime. Until 2010 two groupings functioned: the Conservatives (extremist and ultra-religious right-wing parties) and the Reformists (moderate religious right-wing parties). only the Conservatives parties can carry out political and cultural activities inside Iran.Main Parties
- Islamic Society of EngineersIslamic Society of EngineersThe Islamic Society of Engineers or ISE, is a political organization in Iran, a member of the conservative Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran....
: secretary-general Mohammad Reza BahonarMohammad Reza BahonarMohammad-Reza Bahonar was the conservative First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran. He is a representative from Kerman.In previous parliaments, he has been elected as a representative from Kerman and Tehran... - Combatant Clergy Association: secretary-general Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
- Islamic Coalition PartyIslamic Coalition PartyThe Islamic Coalition Party is a conservative Islamist political party in Iran...
: secretary-general Habibollah AsgaroladiHabibollah AsgaroladiHabibollah Asgaroladi Mosalman is a senior Iranian politician and Secretary-General of the Islamic Coalition Party, a highly influential conservative political party in Iran. He is also senior member of Iran's Expediency Council...
(the main party) - Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists: secretary-general Hassan Ghafurifard
- Moderation and Development PartyModeration and Development PartyModeration and Development Party , is an Iranian political party which held its first congress in 2002. So far, Dr. Mohammad Khan, Minister of Economy and Reconstruction era Dr...
: secretary-general Mohammad Baqer Nobakht - Coalition of Iran's Independent VolunteersE'telaf-e Khedmatgozaran-e Mostaqel-e IranThe Coalition of Iran's Independent Volunteers is a political party in Iran founded in June 2008....
: spokesman Emad Afruq - Iranian Nation's Welfare Party: secretary-general Khalil Ali Mohammadzadeh
Main Parties
- Islamic Iran Participation FrontIslamic Iran Participation FrontThe Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
: secretary-general Mohsen MirdamadiMohsen MirdamadiMohsen Mirdamadi, was an organizer of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, a member of the parliament of Iran from 2000-2004, and the "head of the largest pro-reform party" in Iran, Islamic Iran Participation Front since 2006....
(banned in June 2010) - National Trust PartyNational Trust Party (Iran)National Trust Party , also translated as National Confidence Party, is an Iranian political party based on reformist and populist message. NTP was established in 2005 by former Parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi following his controversial defeat in 2005 presidential election...
: secretary-general Mehdi KarroubiMehdi KarroubiMehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
(banned in 2009) - Organisation of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution: secretary-general Mohammad Salamati (banned in June 2010)
- Executives of Construction PartyExecutives of Construction PartyThe Executives of Construction Party is a political party in Iran, founded by several members of the cabinet of the then President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani...
: secretary-general Gholamhossein KarbaschiGholamhossein KarbaschiGholamhossein Karbaschi is an Iranian politician who was the Mayor of Tehran from 1989 until 1998. He is considered politically reformist and is a close ally of former president Mohammad Khatami... - Association of Combatant Clerics: secretary-general Mohammad Mousavi KhoeinihaMohammad Mousavi KhoeinihaAyatollah Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha is an Iranian cleric and secretary general of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics. He was a founder of the now banned Salam newspaper and is a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.-Overview:Khoeiniha was prosecutor general of Iran after...
- Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam: secretary-general Hadi KhameneiHadi KhameneiHojatoleslam Hadi Khamenei is an influential Iranian reformist politician, mojtahed and linguist. He is a key member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics, and a former deputy of the Majlis of Iran representing a district in Tehran....
- Islamic Labour PartyIslamic Labour PartyIslamic Labor Party to create. Target home workers to fill the vacuum caused by the dissolution of unions and restricted movement within the labor system was acceptable....
: secretary-general Abolqasem Sarhadizadeh - Workers' House: secretary-general Alireza Mahjub
- Iran Solidarity Party: secretary-general Ebrahim AsgharzadehEbrahim AsgharzadehEbrahim Asgharzadeh is an Iranian political activist and politician. He served as a member of the 3rd Majlis from 1989–1993 and as a member of the first City Council of Tehran from 1999–2003...
- Youth Party of Iran: secretary-general Mahdi Agha-Alikhani
- Freedom Party of Iran: secretary-general Majid Mohtashami
Notability of these parties
There are about 74 political parties outside Iran (they fled the Islamist Regime). Only 13 are fully active of which 4 are powerful :- the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran of Maryam RajaviMaryam RajaviMaryam Rajavi is an Iranian politician who is President elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran, a front group for People's Mujahedin of Iran, since 1993. She is the wife of Massoud Rajavi, a founder of the People's Mujahedin of Iran...
, (Religious Left) - the National Front of Iran (Jebhe-ye Melli) of Adib Boroumand, (Liberal Nationalist)
- the Constitutionalist Party of Iran (Liberal Democrat)Constitutionalist Party of IranThe Constitutionalist Party of Iran is a liberal democratic party founded in 1994 and is based in exile. The party favors a constitutional monarchy in Iran but is not opposed to a republic based on referendum...
of Daryoush HomayounDaryoush HomayounDaryoush Homayoun was an Iranian journalist, author, intellectual, and politician. He was the Minister of Information and Tourism in the cabinet of Jamshid Amouzegar, founder of the daily newspaper Ayandegan, and one-time high-ranking member of the Rastakhiz party. In exile he became one of the...
, (Liberal Democrat) - the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)The Organization of Iranian People's Fadaian or Fedayan-e Khalq , 'Organization of self-sacrificers of the people of Iran ') is the largest socialist party in Iran and advocates the overthrow of the Islamic regime in Iran...
of Behrouz Khaligh (Socialist)
see also List of political parties in Iran.
The rest of the Opposition is insignificant : they are rather tiny clubs of individuals than political parties and do not influence the political arena of Iran. But 9 of them are of some importance :
- The Tudeh Party of Iran and the Communist Party of Iran (of Ebrahim Alizadeh), which were important parties in the past, exist today in a very anemic state.
- Worker-Communist Party of Iran was formerly powerful and led by the charismatic Mansoor Hekmat before splitting into three weak parties see when the latter died in 2002. Among the three parties the Hekmatist Party is the most vocal.
- National Resistance Movement of Iran (NAMIR) of Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar was an Iranian political scientist, writer and the last Prime Minister of Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi...
http://www.cyrusnews.com/audio/1985%20IRTV.wmv, the Party of the Iranian Nation (PIN) of Darius and Parvaneh Foroohar and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (DPIK) of Abdul Rahman Qassemloo, although prominent parties in the past, have almost been destroyed with the killings of their charismatic leaders by the Islamic Republic. The NAMIR has almost ceased to exist, whereas the PIN and the DPIK struggle to expand their activities. In December 2006, the DPIK split another time into two groups.
- The Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) has isolated itself by rejecting joint actions or even dialogue with non-communist parties (they do not have a good relation even with some socialist/communist parties deemed not too radical or "traitor" like the Tudeh Party or the Fadaian-Majority). http://www.etehadefedaian.org/?page=article&nid=1296 The Party split into two groups in August 2009.
- The social-democratic Komala (not to be confused with the communist Komalah with an h), although an important party, can't be classified among the four powerful party of the Opposition cited above since its modest activities are only concentrated in the kurdish-inhabited provinces of Iran. Furthermore Komala split into two parties in August 2007 http://www.komala.org/farsi/aqlit/071004_BahmanAlyar.htm.
- The Islamic Society of the Iranians has few members but has a prominent leader (Abolhassan Banisadr
Abolhassan Banisadr
Abulhassan Banisadr is an Iranian politician, economist and human rights activist who served as the first President of Iran from 4 February 1980 after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the abolition of the monarchy until his impeachment on 21 June 1981 by the Parliament of Iran...
).
- The Union of People's Fedaian of Iran is the Iranian Party with the most ties with other Opposition parties (it has warm relations even with the Rahe Kargar). It has been designated as the twin sister of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority (OIPF-M) but has far fewer members. Some members told their Party will soon merge with the OIPF-M.
Ideologies
These 74 parties can be divided into 6 ideological branches from left to right :- Communists (20 parties; the most important: the Hekmatist Party)
- Socialists and Social-Democrats (10 parties; the most important: Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority)
- Ethnic nationalists (24 parties; the main one: the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan)
- Muslim-Democrats (5 parties; mainly the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran and the Freedom Movement of Iran)
- Liberal-Democrats & Secular Nationalists (14 parties; mainly the National Front of Iran and the Constitutionalist Party of Iran)
- Anti-Islamic Nationalists (1 party : The Kingdom Assembly of Iran)
Past (1990-2003)
Before the year 2003, a lot of parties tried to form a coalition against the Islamic regime and failed. Only two unions succeeded; but even them - which are the National Council of Resistance of IranNational Council of Resistance of Iran
The National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect...
and the Workers Left Unity - Iran
Workers Left Unity - Iran
Workers Left Unity – Iran is an Iranian far left political party in exile.The group describes itself as an alliance of:*Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran *Iranian Communist Fedayin League*Socialism and Revolution Tendency...
- are just an alliance of two parties : the religious-leftist People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran and the marxist Organization of Iranian People Fadaee Guerillas for the first one and the Iranian fedaian communist league and the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) for the latter.
Present (2003-2008)
However, since 2003 the Democratic People's Party of Iran of Babak Amirkhosravi (a separated fraction of the communist Tudeh party), the Iranian National Republicans of Hassan ShariatmadariHassan Shariatmadari
Hassan Shariatmadari is an Iranian opposition politician and a leading proponent of the Free Elections Movement in Iran. He is the son of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Kazem Shariatmadari...
, son of the late Grand Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari, and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority created the United Republicans of Iran (URI), a federation of three pro-republican parties : http://www.iran-press-service.com/articles_2004/Jan_04/iranian_republicans_meet_8104.htm,http://www.jomhouri.com/plus/documents/founding_assembly_report.htm . Over one thousand persons took part in the inauguration of the URI in Berlin.
At the same time, in Paris, the Union of People's Fedaian of Iran, the Organization of Iranian Socialists and the Provisional Council of Iranian Left Socialists http://www.sedaye-ma.org/web/show_article.php?file=src/didgah/darvishpour_11092006.htm created another alliance named the Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran (DSRI).
Both the URI and the DSRI are still discussing how to forme a single union to form a strong "republican" (=leftist) force http://jomhouri.com/a/01ann/006375.php. Both have also invited two ethnical parties (the DPIK and the Komala), a centrist party (the National Front of Iran), a far left party (the Provisional Council of Iranian Left Socialists) and even a conservative party (the Islamic Society of the Iranians) to these negotiations which took place on September 22, 2007. http://www.etehadefedaian.org/?page=article&nid=1843; http://www.kar-online.com/yaddasht/yaddasht-khaligh-4.html
Moreover, since September 2005 a greater spectrum of these exiled parties who used to be very divided (even among groups of similar philosophies) have begun to unite. Reza Pahlavi had dinner in Berlin with some of the leftists who had helped to overthrow his father, and it generated outrage on both the left and the right.
For the first time, a Republican (the late spokesman of the National Front of Iran) Parviz Varjavand wrote in an article in August 2006 http://www.cyrusnews.com/news/en/?mi=1&ni=487&y=1 that Democracy is compatible with both a Constitutional Monarchy and a Republic and that the issue should not be between Constitutional Monarchy and Republic. The Green Party of Iran led by Kayvan Koboli said the same thing months before Parviz Varjavand : http://www.iran-e-sabz.org/articles/ticle5.html. Heshmat Raeisi, ex-member of the Central Committee of both the Fedai and the Tudeh Party http://www.iisg.nl/image_sound/video/iran.php#RAEI, participated in the sixth Congress of the (monarchist) Constitutionalist Party of Iran in November 2006 and gave a speech : http://irancpi.net/goftarha/media_9_0.html; in February 2007 Dariush Homayoun of the rightist Constitutionalist Party of Iran wrote a friendly letter to the major leftist party (the OIPFG (M)) http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/ahzab/more/11939/. Hossein Bagherzadeh of the latter party answered : http://talash-online.com/didgha/matn_105_1.html.
Gathering together (2010)
The situation as of 2010 is clearer.A political union is emerging:
Ten parties which are communist, socialist, social-democrat and also liberal-democrat : the Fadaian-Majority, the Union of Fadaian, the People's Democratic Party, the Tudeh, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Komala, the United Republicans, the Provisional Council of Iranian Socialists, the Democratic and Secular Republicans and the National Front. http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=12817, http://www.komala.org/farsi/xarj-k/2010/100315_KonfrancHoland.htm, http://www.iran-chabar.de/news.jsp?essayId=28100, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=11933, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=14260, http://www.kar-online.com/wp/?p=14306.
Some critics such as Amir Jahanchahi note that such a political union may succeed only if it manages to include the two other major political groups which are the Constitutionalist Party and the People's Mojahedin. That is why he created the 'Green wave' to promote a provisional government in exile. In August 2010, Fereidoon Ahmadi from the Fadaian-Majority made a speech in the Congress of the Constitutionalist Party.
The Communists
There are 19 Iranian communist parties. However two are considered more prominent, namely the Hekmatist Party, and the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar). The Rahe Kargar, the Organization of Fedaian (Minority), the Communist Party, the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) and Azarakhsh formed a coalition named the United Supporters of Left and Communist Groups http://www.ehavadaran.blogsky.com/, http://www.iranian.com/main/node/75398.Historic Party
The well-known Communist Party which used to be very powerful. No longer very active. The oldest political party in Iran still alive.
- Tudeh Party of IranTudeh Party of IranThe Tudeh Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mohsen Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in its early years and played an important role during Mohammad Mosaddeq's campaign to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and his term as prime...
led by Mohammad Omidvar/Ali Khavari. The International Department of the Tudeh Party of Iran is headed by Navid Shomali.(http://www.tudehpartyiran.org/)
Now, only a minority of the original members remains in the party. The majority was murdered by the Islamic Republic (especially in 1988), others left the party to pursue cultural activities or to join other political parties (such as the United Republicans of Iran), but some others were expelled from the Tudeh Party and created six other Tudeh groupings :
- Tudeh path (or Rahe Tudeh) led by Ali Khodaei/Ali Reza Elahi (founded by two excluded party members) http://www.tudehpartyiran.org/raheht.pdf (http://www.rahetudeh.com/)
- Tarnegashte mehr led by Afshin Razani (excluded from the party in the 1990s) (http://10mehr.org/)
- People's voice (Sedaye mardom) (http://www.sedayemardom.net/)
- The Tudehis (http://www.tudeh-iha.com/)
- Justice (http://www.edalat.net/)
- Party's path (http://rahehezb.blogspot.com/)
Worker-Communism
The four splits of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran :
- Worker-Communist Party of IranWorker-Communist Party of IranThe Worker-communist Party of Iran founded 1991, is a political party that seeks the revolutionary overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the establishment of a 'Socialist Republic' in its place...
led by Hamid Taqvaee. (http://www.wpiran.org/) - Hekmatist Party led by Koorosh ModaressiKoorosh ModaressiKoorosh Modaressi is the founder, general secretary of the central committee and leader of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran - Hekmatist. He was a founder of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran in 1991, from which his current party split....
. (http://www.hekmatist.com) - Worker-communist Unity Party of Iran led by Ali JavadiAli JavadiAli Javadi is an Iranian political Communist activist and one of the well-known figures of Worker-Communism movement.He is one of the main founders and theoricians of Worker-Communism unity party of Iran...
. (http://www.wupiran.org/) - Workers Socialist Unity led by Reza Moghaddam and Iraj Azarin. (http://www.wsu-iran.org/)
Anti-revisionism
- Labor Party of Iran (supporting Enver Hoxha's communism). (http://www.toufan.org/)
Maoism
The two Maoist parties :
- Communist Party of Iran (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist)Communist Party of Iran (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist)The Communist Party of Iran , , is an Iranian communist party working in opposition to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The party is the Iranian section of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement....
with Maryam/Nasrin Jazayeri. (http://www.sarbedaran.org/) - Toilers Party of Iran (Hezbe Ranjbarane Iran), a 1979 split of the Tudeh Party with Younes Parsa-banab (http://www.ranjbaran.org/)
Fadaian
The original communist motherparty was called Organization of Iranian People's Fadai Guerrillas. Since 1980, it has split dozens of times. Today there are 9 parties, 7 of them are still communist. The other two (which constitute the majority of the members) have evolved into democratic socialist parties.
- Fedaian Organisation (Minority) with Mr Tavakol. (http://www.fadaian-minority.org/)
- Minority Cell with Saeid. (http://www.hasteh.se/)
- 19 Bahman (http://www.19bahman.net/)
- Iranian People's Fedai GuerrillasIranian People's Fedai GuerrillasThe Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas is an Iranian opposition organization. It has a Marxist-Leninist ideology. The group was formed in 1979, when Ashraf Dehghani broke away from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas...
led by Ashraf Dehghani. (http://www.siahkal.com/) - Organization of Iranian People's Fedai GuerrillasOrganization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (In Search of Identity Program)Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas is an Iranian communist group, based in exile. It was formed in 1983, as a split from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas . The movement is led by Mehdi Same'....
led by Mehdi Same and allied with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in the National Council of Resistance of Iran. (http://www.fadaian.org/) - Organization of Iranian People's Fedai GuerrillasOrganization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (1985)Organization of Iranian People's Fedaii Guerrillas is an Iranian communist group. It was formed in 1985, as a split from the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas . The movement is led by Hossein Zahri.The organization publishes Kar....
led by Hossein Zohari ('Bahram'). (http://www.iranian-fedaii.de/) - Iranian fedaian communist league with Babak Rahimi and Azizeh Shahmoradi (http://fedayi.org)
Others
- The Central Committee of the Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) (http://www.rahekargar.com/)
- The Executive Organ of the Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) (http://www.rahekargar.net)
- KomalahKomalahKomala or Komalah is a Kurdish political party in Iran . The word Komele in Kurdish is derived from Komel and means "association".-Political background:...
led by Ebrahim Alizadeh. It is, according to them, the "kurdish section" of the Communist Party of IranCommunist Party of IranThe Communist Party of Iran is an Iranian communist party which is active in the fight against the Islamic Republic of Iran.It was founded in 1983 in Iranian Kurdistan after Komalah merged with Union of Communist Militants...
. In fact the Komalah and the Communist Party of Iran are the same. http://www.komalah.org (for Komalah) and http://www.cpiran.org/ (for the Communist Party of Iran) - Socialist Party of Iran led by Fereydoon Gilani. (http://www.jonbesh-iran.com/)
- AzarakhshAzarakhsh-References:...
(http://www.aazarakhsh.org)
The Socialists/Social-Democrats
The Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian-Majority is the most prominent.
The United Republicans of Iran (URI) and the Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran (DSRI) are not really parties but federations of parties.
- Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority)The Organization of Iranian People's Fadaian or Fedayan-e Khalq , 'Organization of self-sacrificers of the people of Iran ') is the largest socialist party in Iran and advocates the overthrow of the Islamic regime in Iran...
with Behrouz Khaligh as its secretary-general and Hassan Zehtab as its foreign relations coordinator. http://www.kar-online.com/ or in English/French/German: http://www.fadai.org/ - United Republicans of Iran (International Relations Coordinator : Mehdi Amini) (http://www.jomhouri.com/)
- Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran (spokesman : Mehrdad Darvishpour ?) (http://www.nedayeazadi.com/)
- Democratic Union of the Progressive Iranians only present in Switzerland (http://www.khavaran.ch/)
- People's Democratic Party of Iran led by Babak Amirkhosravi (http://www.raheazadi.de/)
- Union of People's Fedaian of IranUnion of People's Fedaian of IranThe Union of People's Fedaian of Iran is a communist organization that publishes a monthly magazine called Iran Today.The organization was established in April 1994, following the Convention of Unity Congress...
with Parviz Navidi/Ahmad Azad. (http://www.etehadefedaian.org/) - Provisional Council of Iranian Left Socialists with Majid Zarbakhsh (http://www.tarhino.com/)
- Organization of Iranian Socialists led by Mansour Bayatzadeh (their members are called Socialist Mossadeghists), close to the National Front of Iran (http://www.ois-iran.com/)
- Green Party of IranGreen Party of IranThe Green Party of Iran is an Iranian political party with members in Iran and in exile. As a Green Party, it supports the basic worldwide green values, and is one of the Iranian political parties that supports such issues as a secular legal system and gay rights....
led by Kayvan Kaboli. (http://www.iran-e-sabz.org) - Social Democratic Party of Iran led by Jalal Madani. (http://www.spiran.com/)
The Muslim-Democrats
Religious people against the Islamist ideology : they are against the application of the Sharia but at the same time oppose everything opposed to what they call "the main principles of Islam". They believe in the equality between men and women and at the same time their female supporters are mostly veiled. The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), which abandoned its armed opposition since 2001, is considered to be the main Opposition to the Islamic Republic. The Muslim-Democrats who remained in Iran are close to the Reformists and grouped in a coalition named the Nationalist-Religious Forces whose spokesman is Ezzatollah Sahabi
Ezzatollah Sahabi
Ezzatollah Sahabi was an Iranian scholar, humanitarian, democracy activist, politician and former parliament member. He was famous for his political-economical social analysis, and also for the many years of imprisonment in both the pre-revolution and post-revolution eras...
. The main party of the coalition is the Freedom Movement Party of Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi
Ebrahim Yazdi is an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Mehdi Bazargan, until his resignation in November 1979, in protest to the Iran hostage crisis...
, but also the Movement of Muslim Militants of Habibollah Peyman
Habibollah Peyman
Dr. Habibollah Peyman is an Iranian politician. He is the founder and the leader of an Islamist Socialist political party, named Jonbesh Moslamanan Mobarez, which is banned by the religious government of Iran. He is also one of the leaders of the influential Iranian opposition political alliance,...
. It should be noted that most founding members of the PMOI used to be members of the Freedom Movement Party.
- People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran led by Maryam Rajavi. (http://www.mojahedin.org/ or http://www.hambastegimeli.com/)
- Freedom Movement Party led by Ebrahim Yazdi. (http://www.nehzateazadi.org/b.htm)
- Movement of Muslim Militants led by Habibollah Peyman. (?)
- Islamic Society of the Iranians led by Abolhassan Banisadr (http://enghelabe-eslami.com/ or http://www.majameeslamiiranian.com/)
- The Freedom-seekers Combattants of Iran, a pro-Shariati party (http://www.samaa.org/)
- The Council of Muslim Socialists, another pro-Shariati party close to Iranian communist parties (http://www.smtohidi.com/)
The Liberal-Democrats/Nationalists
Most of them are republican but some favor a constitutional monarchy as in Spain. The National Front and the Constitutionalist Party of Iran (Liberal Democrat) are the most active. Some of them are united in an organization called "Melliun" http://www.melliun.org. The National Front has the particularity of being the only opposition party to have an official bureau in Tehran :
- National Front of IranNational Front (Iran)The National Front of Iran or Jebhe Melli is a Democratic, political opposition group founded by Mohammad Mossadegh and other secular Iranian leaders of Nationalist, Liberal, and Social-Democratic political orientation who had been educated in France in the late 1940s...
led by Adib Boroumand (based in Iran) http://www.jminews.com (in Iran) or http://www.iranazad.info/ (abroad) - Constitutionalist Party of Iran (Liberal Democrat)Constitutionalist Party of IranThe Constitutionalist Party of Iran is a liberal democratic party founded in 1994 and is based in exile. The party favors a constitutional monarchy in Iran but is not opposed to a republic based on referendum...
(CPI): the main liberal Party led by Daryoush HomayounDaryoush HomayounDaryoush Homayoun was an Iranian journalist, author, intellectual, and politician. He was the Minister of Information and Tourism in the cabinet of Jamshid Amouzegar, founder of the daily newspaper Ayandegan, and one-time high-ranking member of the Rastakhiz party. In exile he became one of the...
. (http://irancpi.net/) - Marze Por Gohar PartyMarze Por GoharThe Marz-e Por Gohar Party is an Iranian nationalist political party. Their motto is "Iranians for a secular republic". The party was founded on July 8, 1998 in Tehran, Iran. It was established by a group of secular nationalist writers and journalists...
led by Roozbeh Farahanipour. (http://www.marzeporgohar.org) - Iran Party led by Nezamoddin Movahed. (http://www.melliun.org/hezbeir02.htm)
- Party of the Iranian Nation led by Khosrow Seif/Mehran Adib (http://www.melliun.org/hezbemel02.htm or https://hezbemellateiran.com/)
- National Movement of Iranian ResistanceNational Resistance Movement of IranThe National Movement of Iranian Resistance was founded in the early 1980s by Shapour Bakhtiar, the last prime minister of Iran under the Monarchy before it was overthrown in the February 1979 revolution. Even though he was an opponent to the Shah, he assumed the post of prime minister "to save...
led by Hamid Zolnour/Hossein Assadi. Used to be very active before the assassination of Shahpour Bakhtiar and his Secretary Soroush Katibeh. (http://www.melliun.org/nehzatm.htm or http://www.namir.info/) - Pan-Iranist PartyPan-Iranist PartyThe Pan-Iranist Party is a pan-Iranist political opposition party. It is active both in and out of Iran. It was led by Mohsen Pezeshkpour since the 1950s and up to 2008...
led by Zahra Gholamipour. (http://www.paniranist.org/ or http://www.paniranist.info/) - Rastakhiz Organization led by Masoud Khoshnood (http://www.rastakhiz.org/)
- The Liberal Democrats of Iran with Ramin Kamran. (http://www.iranliberal.com/)
- Democratic Front of Iran led by Heshmatollah Tabarzadi. (http://www.idfravabet.blogfa.com/)
- Democrat Party of Iran led by Abbas Khorsandi. (http://www.irandp.org)
- Constitutional Movement of Iran-Front Line led by Mehrdad Khonsari. (http://www.cmi-fl.com/)
- Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran led by Manouchehr GanjiManouchehr GanjiManouchehr Ganji is a human rights activist and a former Minister of Education of Iran .- Life :Ganji was born in Tehran, Iran. He received his B.A. and M.A...
. Known in his Persian name : Derafshe Kaviyani. (http://www.derafsh.org/) - Iranian People PartyIranian People PartyThe Iranian People Party is a liberal democratic political party. This party lies between the centre-right and centre of the Iranian political spectrum. This party believes in a republic and laws that be for the benefit of the people of Iran not for the benefit of the government.-External links:* *...
led by Ali Bakhtiar/Hossein Razi. (http://iranpeopleparty.wordpress.com/)
The Anti-Islamic Nationalists
- Kingdom Assembly of IranKingdom Assembly of IranKingdom Assembly of Iran is a militant Iranian royalist group which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic and restore the ousted Iranian monarchy...
, also called Tondar, spokesman : Iman Afar (https://tondar.org/)
Ethnic nationalist parties
Among the ethnic parties, only the Kurdish DPIK and Komala are active. Some of these parties formed a union called "Congress of Iranian Nationalities" whose activities are mainly done by both parties cited above : http://www.iranfederal.org/
Kurds
- Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan led by Mustafa Hejri. (http://www.kurdistanmedia.com/ or http://www.pdki.org/)
- Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Khaled Azizi (http://www.kurdistanukurd.org/)
- Komala is led by Abdollah Mohtadi. (http://www.komala.org)
- Toilers Komala is led by Omer Ilkhani Zada. (http://www.komala.com)
- Pejak, a group linked to the PKK and led by Rahman Haji Ahmadi. (http://pjak.org/)
- Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle led by Baba Sheikh Hosseini (http://sazmanixebat.org)
- The Revolutionary Khabat Organization of Iranian KurdistanKhabatThe Revolutionary Khabat Organization of the Iranian Kurdistan, usually called Khabat is a Kurdish nationalist opposition group in Iran which seeks autonomy for Iranian Kurdistan.-History:...
(http://www.khabat.org/) - Kurdistan Freedom Party led by Hossein Yazdan Panah (http://www.pazadik.com/)
Baluchs
- People's Resistance Movement of Iran (Jundollah) led by Mohammad Zaher Baluch. (http://junbish.blogspot.com/)
- Balochistan United Front (Federal Republican) whose spokesman is Jamshid Amiri (http://www.balochunitedfront.org/)
- Baluchistan National Movement-Iran (http://www.zrombesh.org/)
- Balochistan People's PartyBalochistan People's PartyThe Baluchistan People's Party is a Baluch nationalist political party based in Iran, that seeks political, economic and cultural rights for the Baluch people within a federal, secular and democratic political system in Iran.-External links:* *...
led by Nasser Booladei (http://fas.balochpeople.org/)
Azeris
- Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening MovementSouthern Azerbaijan National Awakening MovementThe Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement is a Baku-based separatist group that advocates for the separation of Iranian Azerbaijan from Iran, and "unification of Azeris living on both sides of the Araxes River"....
(GAMOH) is led by Dr. Mahmut Ali Çöhreganlı (http://www.gamoh.biz/) - Federal-Democratic Movement of Azerbaijan led by Mohammad Azadgar (http://www.achiq.org/)
Arabs
For more information about these parties see: Politics of Khuzestan
- Ahwazi Islamic Sunni Organization led by Omar Otman Al-Hayawi (http://www.sonnaalahwaz.org/)
- Democratic Solidarity Party of Ahwaz (http://www.alahwaz.info)
- Ahwazian Arab People's Democratic, Popular Front (http://www.alahwaz.com)
- Ahwazi Renaissance Party (http://www.al-mohamra.nu/)
- Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (http://www.alahwaz-revolutionary-council.org/)
Turkmens
- Organization for Defence of the Rights of Turkmen People (http://www.turkmenler.org/)
- National Movement of Iranian Turkmenistan (http://www.erkinlik.org/)
- Turkmen National Democratic Movement (http://www.turkmenlik.org/)
Lurs & Bakhtiaris
- Party of United Lurestan and Bakhtiari led by Faramarz Bakhtiar (http://www.bakhtiar.de/1628235.htm)
External links
Khane Ahzab Iran (House of Iran's political parties)See also
- List of political parties
- Politics of IranPolitics of IranThe politics of Iran take place in a framework of theocracy guided by an Islamist ideology. The December 1979 constitution, and its 1989 amendment, define the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic Republic of Iran, declaring that Shi'a Islam of the Twelver school of thought is...
- Liberalism in IranLiberalism in IranThis article provides an overview of liberalism in Iran. It is limited to the Iranian liberal movement and liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in the majlis ....