Senate of Iran


The Senate was the upper house legislative chamber in 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 Iran Constituent Assembly, 1949, as an expression of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's desire for more political power. The Senate was filled mainly with men who were supportive of the Shah's aims, as intended by the Shah. Half of the sixty seats in the senate were directly appointed by the Shah, fifteen represented Tehran, and the rest were elected from other regions.
The Senate was disbanded after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the new constitution established a unicameral legislature. 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,

The Building

The Senate House of Iran was designed by architect Heydar Ghiaï in 1955. 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.

Members

Dissolution

Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, the government became unicameral, the senate was dissolved and the new Majlis convened in the senate building.

Composition of elective seats

Major events