The politics of Iran combines elements of theocracy and presidential democracy. Theocracy is a form of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of God. This has been the case since 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini became the Supreme Leader of Iran. The Supreme Leader has control of the armed forces, as well as the security and intelligence services. Iran also has a president, the second most powerful person, who is elected by the people. The current Supreme Leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the President is Hassan Rouhani.
The Supreme Leader is appointed and supervised by the Assembly of Experts. However, all candidates to the Assembly of Experts, the President and the Majlis (Parliament), are selected by the Guardian Council, half of whose members are selected by the Supreme Leader of Iran. Also, all directly-elected members after the vetting process by the Guardian Council still have to be approved by the Supreme Leader.
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