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Majles (Parliament)

The Majlis has the following powers:

• Debating the motions tabled by the government upon the cabinet's approval, as well as bills tabled by at least 15 MPs
• Debating and inquiring into all the national affairs
• Approving international treaties, protocols, agreements and contracts
• Effecting minor changes in the border lines by taking into consideration the national interests, and by a majority of four fifths of MPs
• Agreeing to the cabinet's request for proclamation of martial law for no more than 30 days
• Tabling a motion of no confidence in the prime minister or any of the ministers; casting vote of confidence or no confidence in the government or in any of the ministers.

The Majlis also has several permanent committees with the task of carrying out the initial discussions about bills and motions. Moreover, select committees could be formed as the need arose. Early 1989 amendments to House rules allowed committees to have between 9 and 15 members, with the exception of the constitutional article 90 committee, which could have 15-31 members. The permanent committees were:

• 1) Education
• 2) Culture and Higher Education
• 3) Islamic Guidance and Arts and Mass Media
• 4) Economy and Finance
• 5) Plan and Budget
• 6) Oil
• 7) Industry and Mine
• 8) Labour and Social Affairs, and Administrative and Employment Affairs
• 9) Housing and Urban Development and Roads and Transport
• 10) Judicial and Legal Affairs
• 11) Defence and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
• 12) Foreign Policy
• 13) Internal Affairs & Councils
• 14) Health and Welfare, Relief, Social Security and Red Crescent
• 15) Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones, and Energy
• 16) Commerce and Distribution
• 17) Agriculture and Rural Development
• 18) Prime Ministry Affiliated Organizations
• 19) Accounting Court and the House Budget and Finance
• 20) Revolution Institutions
• 21) Constitutional Article 90 Petitions Committee which has the task of investigating the complaints of the public against government organizations
• 22) Questions Review Committee, which has the task of reviewing the questions of MPs to ministries and the latter's replies. This committee decides if the replies have been satisfactory. Should the committee find a minister's reply unsatisfactory 3 times, MPs will be able to table a motion of no confidence in the minister concerned.

Legislative Procedure

A bill or a motion may be tabled with the Majlis in two ways:

• 1) the government may table it upon the cabinet's approval
• 2) 15 MPs may table a motion.

The Steering Board of the Chamber is responsible for arranging the debating procedure. The bills are normally debated in turn. Urgent motions are debated under a different procedure as explained later.

The debating procedure begins with the first reading of a bill, which has already been passed by the committee concerned and the text of which has been distributed to the MPs. Should the bill's generalities be passed in the first reading, it would then be forwarded to the committee(s) concerned for a review of its details. At this stage, MPs may propose their related amendments. The bill's details and the proposed amendments are discussed, and either adopted or rejected. The committee concerned may also invite experts from outside the parliament to take part in its meetings.

Subsequently the bill comes up for a second reading which concerns its details. At this stage, MPs whose proposed amendments have not been adopted by the committee concerned, may put their proposal to the full House and call for votes. If the bill is passed in the second reading, it would be forwarded to the Guardian Council for ratification.

This is the normal procedure of legislation. Urgent, 1 star, bills however are discussed only once by the committee concerned. Very urgent, two-star bills do not even go to the committees and are debated by two successive meetings of the Chamber. The first meeting deals with the generalities of the bill and the second with its details. Top urgent, 3 star, bills and motions are placed on the agenda immediately. The degree of urgency of the bills has to be approved by a majority of the MPs. Some of the bills cannot be tabled under urgency provisions, for instance the budget.