Inauguration of the The Assembly of Experts in July 1983

Although the constitution assigns the Assembly of Experts the task of monitoring the supreme leader, there are no formal mechanisms—constitutionally-sanctioned or otherwise—through which the Assembly can challenge the supreme leader. Reformist politicians have advocated utilizing the Assembly as a check on the supreme leader’s authority, but they have made little progress in institutionalizing this ambition. In preparation for the 1990 elections, the oversight of the ballot and eligibility requirements for the Assembly were revised and made more stringent.