Editing Iran (section)

=== Guardian Council ===
{{Main|Guardian Council}}
Presidential and parliamentary candidates must be approved by the 12-member [[Guardian Council]] (all members of which are appointed by the Leader) or the Leader before running to ensure their allegiance.<ref>{{cite book |author=Chibli Mallat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5oB4_tohQegC |title=The Renewal of Islamic Law: Muhammad Baqer As-Sadr, Najaf and the Shi'i International |date=2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-53122-1 |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref> The Leader rarely does the vetting, but has the power to do so, in which case additional approval of the Guardian Council is not needed. The Leader can revert the decisions of the Guardian Council.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated.--> and agencies |date=24 May 2005 |title=Iran reverses ban on reformist candidates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/24/iran |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221144045/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/24/iran |archive-date=21 December 2016 |access-date=10 August 2017 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

The constitution gives the council three mandates: veto power over legislation passed by the [[Majlis of Iran|parliament]],<ref>Article 98 of the constitution</ref><ref>Articles 96 and 94 of the constitution.</ref> supervision of elections<ref name="IDP">{{cite web |title=THE GUARDIAN COUNCIL |url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/the-guardian-council |access-date=7 September 2022 |website=Iran Data Portal. Political Institutions |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519124159/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/the-guardian-council |url-status=live}}</ref> and approving or disqualifying candidates seeking to run in local, parliamentary, presidential, or Assembly of Experts elections.<ref name="Article 99 of the constitution">Article 99 of the constitution</ref> The council can nullify a law based on two accounts: being against [[sharia]] (Islamic law), or being against the constitution.<ref>[http://mellat.majlis.ir/archive/constitution/english.htm Article 4] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209085520/http://mellat.majlis.ir/archive/constitution/english.htm|date=9 December 2006}}</ref>