The Principles of Political Participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The purpose of the present study is to explain the principles of political participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. To this aim, descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the theoretical perceptions in this regard and practical challenges created due to the variety of principles affecting political participation and also lack of common theoretical agreement over the role of people and social forces in the political procedures in the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as the resolutions to leave this challenge behind. The results showed that lack of common theoretical agreement over the principles of political participation, various perceptions about public participation, and dividing the society into contradictory sections has created a sort of theoretical challenge paving the ground for practical difficulties and obstacles in the procedure of development. To get out of this predicament, some democratic strategies are proposed such as persuasive open dialogue, institutionalized participation of people, and competition among civil organizations.