The Senate () was the upper house legislative chamber in the Imperial State of Iran from 1949 to 1979. A bicameral legislature had been established in the 1906 Persian Constitutional Revolution but the Senate was not actually formed until after the 1949 Constituent Assembly election, as an expression of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's desire for more political power. Half of the sixty seats in the senate were directly appointed by the Shah, and the other half were directly elected, fifteen represented Tehran, and the rest were elected from other regions.
The Senate was disbanded after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and was formally abolished on 1 April, when the new constitution established a unicameral legislature under the nascent Islamic Republic. , the former Senate building was used by the Assembly of Experts.
History Constitution Established as per Chapter 3, Article 45 of the Persian Constitution of 1906,
Building The Senate House of Iran was designed by architect Heydar Ghiaï in 1955.Max Gérard, Iran Senate House Heydar Ghiaï, Editions Draeger, 1976 The construction was led by Rahmat Safai, the dome being one of the most technically challenging projects in the entire endeavor.
The building is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 100 rials banknote.Central Bank of Iran . Banknotes & Coins: 100 Rials . – Retrieved on 24 March 2009.
Members
Mahmoud Hessaby (1951–1963). Ali Dashti for 1954–1979.Muslims (Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices), page 213, Jafar Sharif-Emami, Prime Minister of Iran (1960–1961 & 1978), was a member of the Iranian Senate.Iranian.com | Archive Pages[http://ibexpub.com/index.php?main_page=pubs_product_book_info&cPath=5&products_id=89 Memoirs of Sharif-Emami, Prime Minister Persian Language He was its PresidentIRANIAN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT HARVARD UNIVERSITY for a number of years. Jamshid Aalam (1973–1979)
List of speakers
NameTerm of officeEbrahim Hakimi19 August 19511 March 1957Hassan Taqizadeh1 March 19571 September 1960Mohsen Sadr11 September 1960 11 September 1964Jafar Sharif-Emami11 September 1964 24 March 1978Mohammad Sajadi24 March 197810 February 1979
Dissolution During its years of activity, the Senate was once dissolved in May 1961.
Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, the government became unicameral, the senate was dissolved and the new Majlis convened in the senate building.
Elections Votes cast Provincial Capital Seats Votes Cast 1963 1967 1971Tehran15347,358393,538542,877Qazvin163,272258,616Mashhad241,179213,750314,941Esfahan148,61398,117333,120Tabriz221,45023,392100,299Ahvaz1111,538142,832275,907Sari1149,512173,126265,106Shiraz2235,745230,507Rasht121,243168,097Rezaieh142,71286,999101,998Kerman126,85268,525240,384Kermanshah1197,214143,219Hamedan1153,481155,523221,754Total Votes30 +1,000,0001,810,0043,196,825Source: Ministry of Interior
Seats won Year Majority party Loyal opposition Ref Party Seats Party Seats 1963 New Iran Party People's Party 1967 IPU 1971 IPU 1975 Resurgence Party colspan=2 IPU
Composition 1967 As of 1967, the composition of the Senate included 48 members of the ruling New Iran Party and 11 members of the loyal opposition People's Party, while one senator was unaffiliated. + ↓ 11 1 48 People's Party Independent New Iran Party
1971 As of 1971, neither the New Iran Party nor the People's Party held a majority in the Senate, and had 27 and 9 members respectively. The remaining 24 senators were nonpartisan. + ↓ 9 24 27 People's Party Independent New Iran Party
1975 In 1975, all senator were members of the country's single-party. + ↓ 60 Resurgence Party
Major events
1950 (9 February), first inaugural session presided over by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. 1952, Mohammad Mosaddegh managed to obtain power to rule by decree — first, for a six-month period and then extended — due to his popularity. Later, he organized a plebiscite in 1953, won the votes, and dissolved both the Majlis and Senate.Historical Setting: MOSSADEQ AND OIL NATIONALIZATION Upon Mossadeq's ouster, the legislative bodies were revived. 1961, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi dissolved both the Majlis and Senate;Confidential, U.S. State Department, Central Files IRAN, 1960-January 1963, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs some time later they were restored. 1979 Senate approves the government of Shapour Bakhtiar."Iranian senate's approval of Shahpour Bakhtiar's government noted" ABC Evening News for Monday, Jan 15, 1979
Bibliography M. Ghiai, Iran Senate House, Max Gerard Edt.Draeger Paris, 1976
References and notes