Assembly of Experts

Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran مجلس خبرگان رهبری
Type
Type	Advice (opinion)
Leadership
Speaker	Ahmad Jannati Since 24 May 2016
First Deputy Speaker	Ali Movahedi-Kermani Since 24 May 2016
Second Deputy Speaker	Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Since 21 October 2012
Structure
Seats	88
Political groups	Combatant Clergy Association Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom People's Experts
Length of term	8 years
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post voting
Last election	26 February 2016
Meeting place
Assembly of Experts, Tehran, Iran
Website
http://www.majlesekhobregan.ir/

The Assembly of Experts (also Assembly of Experts of the Leadership) of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری‎, translit. Majles-e Khobregān-e Rahbari‎), also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of Iran consisting of eighty eight (88) Mujtahids (Islamic theologians) that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities. Members of the assembly are elected from lists of candidates by direct public vote for eight-year terms. The number of members has ranged from 82 elected in 1982 to 88 elected in 2016. Current laws require the assembly to meet for at least two days every six months. The current chairman of the Fifth Assembly is Ahmad Jannati. Due to Ali Khamenei's very longtime unchallenged rule, many believe the Assembly of Experts has become a ceremonial body without any real power. Iran's Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani, a Khamenei appointee, stated that it is illegal for the Assembly of Experts to supervise Khamenei.

All candidates to the Assembly of Experts, the President and the Majlis (Parliament), must be approved by the Guardian Council, while half of its members are directly selected by the Supreme Leader of Iran. Accordingly, the Assembly has never questioned the Supreme Leader. There have been instances when the current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly criticized members of the Assembly of Experts, resulting in their arrest and dismissal. For example, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly called then-member of the Assembly of Experts Ahmad Azari Qomi a traitor, resulting in Ahmad Azari Qomi's arrest and eventual dismissal from the Assembly of Experts. Another instance is when Khamenei indirectly called the late Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani a traitor for a statement he made resulting Rafsanjani to retract it.