<item><hi format=bold>Administrative divisions:</hi> 24 provinces (ostanha, singular—ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari, Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 15 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>supreme leader and functional chief of state:</hi> Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989); supreme leader (velayat-e faqih)
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> President Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989); election last held June 1993 (next to be held June-July 1997); results—Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with 63% of the vote
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Council of Ministers; selected by the president with legislative approval
<item><hi format=bold>Islamic Consultative Assembly:</hi> (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami) elections last held 8 April 1992 (next to be held April 1996); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(270 seats total) number of seats by party NA
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> there are at least 76 licensed parties; the three most important are—Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Mohammad Reza MAHDAVI-KANI; Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Fedaiyin Islam Organization, Sadeq KHALKHALI
<item><hi format=bold>Other political or pressure groups:</hi> groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah, Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom
<item><hi format=bold>US diplomatic representation:</hi> protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; Allah Alkbar (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band