The Legislative System: From Unicameral to Bicameral
Initially, Iran’s legislature was unicameral, consisting solely of the National Consultative Assembly. However, during the second Pahlavi period, under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran adopted a bicameral legislature, consisting of the National Consultative Assembly (Majles) and the Senate (Majles-e Sena). This bicameral structure was meant to emulate Western parliamentary systems and to provide an additional check—though in practice, both chambers functioned under close royal supervision.
The two chambers were often referred to collectively as the “Majlesein”—the two Majleses. While the Senate was primarily composed of royal appointees and elites, the Consultative Assembly retained the façade of public representation, though elections were frequently manipulated, especially after the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
From the issuance of the Constitutional Decree in 1906 until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, 24 sessions of the National Consultative Assembly were held. Some of these sessions were suspended due to political crises, wars, or royal interventions, leaving the country without a functioning legislature for extended periods.