Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may find the world’s attention focused on him, but in the hierarchy of power in the country he comes a low second to Ayatollah Khamenei who succeeded Khomeini in 1989 as the supreme leader. This is obvious to any one who sees the huge wall paintings that dominate Tehran’s streets, offices and hotels. They portray a stern Khomeini and a smiling Khamenei, their bearded visages complementing each other. Portraits of President Ahmadinejad are infrequent. Khomeini is revered as the man who led the Islamic revolution in 1979 and his portrait adorns much of the Iranian currency.
The power structure in Iran is complex. Apart from Khamenei, the real power behind Ahmadinejad, the majlis or parliament can make laws, but this is circumscribed by the 12-member Council of Guardians, clerics who decide which laws are Islamic and valid. The council can also disqualify a person from seeking election as a majli, a tactic used with devastating effect to ruin the chances of the moderates under Khatami in 2005. The final part of the unelected power structure are the 1,25,000 Revolutionary Guards, used to intimidate citizens and dissidents.
