UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Iran’s political system: clerical rule with the ballot

Q1. Who was elected as the Chairman of the Sixth Term of Iran's Assembly of Experts, which was inaugurated in May 2024?

  • A. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi
  • B. Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani
  • C. Ayatollah Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei
  • D. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati

Q2. In Iran's political system, which body is constitutionally responsible for vetting candidates contesting the Presidential, Majlis and Assembly of Experts elections, and for reviewing the constitutionality of laws passed by the Majlis?

  • A. Expediency Discernment Council
  • B. Assembly of Experts
  • C. Guardian Council
  • D. Supreme National Security Council

Q3. How many members constitute Iran's Guardian Council, the body that vets election candidates and screens legislation passed by the Majlis?

  • A. 6
  • B. 12
  • C. 88
  • D. 290

Q4. In the context of Iran's constitutional order, the doctrine of 'Velayat-e Faqih' refers to:

  • A. the principle of popular sovereignty expressed through universal adult suffrage in elections to the Majlis and the Presidency
  • B. the constitutional authority of the Assembly of Experts to elect, supervise and dismiss the Supreme Leader
  • C. the guardianship of the Islamic jurist, under which ultimate political authority must vest in a qualified senior Shia cleric pending the return of the Hidden Imam
  • D. the advisory mandate of the Expediency Discernment Council to harmonise state policy with Islamic injunctions