The Shia Political Jurisprudence and the Election

What is the base for holding "the election" as a legal mechanism for the participation of the community members in the administration of government? Can it be found in the doctrines of the political jurisprudence? Using an analytical method, this paper seeks to answer these two questions. This paper holds that, the election in the political jurisprudence is a kind of political participation that differs considerably from the issue of the election in the Western communities in terms of foundations, goals, and ends. The most important difference is that, in political jurisprudence, election is a rational way of delegating the administration of government to those who have the desired characteristics and conditions in the view of the Saint Legislator. Hence, the authenticity of the election and the majority vote are based on its conformity to the accepted limits, norms and values of the Islamic system. Some of the functions of the election in the Islamic system are, attracting the people's political participation in the process of large-scale decision making, attracting people's trust in the political system, maintaining the human dignity of the citizens, devolving people's affairs to their own deputies, avoiding the charge of tyranny and self-centering, accountability of the system's brokers to the public in order to attract his attention, and direct communication between people and brokers.