Provisional Government

A provisional government in a political term is a government that for a short time takes power to form the legislative and executive body, giving power to the elected people or a stable government. In Iran, the provisional government is said to the government of Mr. Mahdi Bazargan, who was in charge of the affairs of the country from February 4, 1979, to November 6, 1979.

Imam Khomeyni returned to his homeland on February 1, 1979, after fourteen years of exile. Three days later, he formed a government under Prime Minister Mahdi Bazargan, even though Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar was in power. There were two governments in Iran for a week; one elected by the Shah and the other by the Imam. Imam Khomeyni, who had declared his first goal to overthrow the monarchy and set up the Islamic Republic, granted Mahdi Bazargan the post of the prime minister on February 4 at the Alavi High School with a group of four hundred foreign and domestic journalists. The ruling, read by Hujjat al-Islam Hashemi-Rafsanjani, ordered the provisional government to carry out three important tasks:

1. Referendum on changing the country’s political system from Imperial to the Islamic Republic; 2. Constituent Assembly – This House was later changed to the Assembly of Experts to draft a constitution, 3. The creation of the National Assembly, later renamed the National Assembly, with real people’s representatives. Imam Khomeyni had written at the beginning of the sentence that he had nominated Mr. Bazargan as prime minister on the proposal of the Revolutionary Council, and this is based on the right that the majority of the Iranian people have given to him (Imam) in a large gathering and demonstration. Imam urged Mr. Bazargan to nominate members of his government regardless of party relationships and group affiliations.

The revolution leader called on employees, the army and the people to cooperate with the provisional government. At the end of the ceremony, Imam invited people to comment on Mr. Bazargan’s prime minister and the formation of a provisional government. At the end of the ceremony, Imam invited the people to declare their views on Mr. Bazargan as the prime minister and the formation of a provisional government, through press and quiet demonstrations. A reporter asked Mr. Bazargan the question, Shapour Bakhtiar threatened to arrest members of the provisional government, Mr. Bazargan responded to the question saying he was not afraid of the warning. The ceremony, contrary to the wishes of the officials of the time, was broadcast through the educational network and by the striking radio and television staff, and the people of Tehran could see it. At the same time, the network became known as the Revolution Channel.

The Iranian people on Thursday, February 8, participated in large rallies in support of the Bazargan government. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution on February 11, 1979, the government of Shapour Bakhtiar fell and the provisional government took over all affairs of the country. The provisional government, despite all its efforts for its intended purpose, failed to keep up with Imam’s ideas and people’s demands everywhere. First, contrary to Imam’s advice, members of the provisional government were chosen based on political background: The National Front and the Freedom Movement. This background could not attract the favour of other militant groups and individuals who had sacrificed their lives for the victory of the revolution. However, the Imam supported the provisional government but criticized the slow pace of changes. On the other hand, the provisional government failed to align itself with the revolutionary institutions that emerged one after another: The Revolutionary Courts, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Constructive Jihad and the Committee of the Islamic Revolution. The provisional government saw them as powers within themselves. On the other hand, the series of events that took place during the nine months of the provisional government. Especially the crises created by counter-revolutionary groups in Kordestan, Khuzestan, and some cities, such as Gonbad-e Kavus, showed that the provisional government was not capable of dealing with them. Mr. Bazargan resigned several times. He demanded the dissolution of the Revolutionary Council, the courts, the Islamic Revolutionary Committee and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Since these institutions were created to help the Islamic Revolution to survive and to fight against the threatening individuals or events, the Imam did not agree with them.

The provisional government acted without consultation. One businessman will meet with Zbigniew Brzezinski, the US President’s National Security Advisor, or insist on continuing political relations with the Egyptian government after the Camp David deal with Israel.

[This makes absolutely no sense. Send me the Persian and I’ll retranslate it]

Many believe that the provisional government resigned after the American embassy was seized by the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line on November 4, 1979, but this resignation had been raised before the incident. Imam Khomeyni accepted the Prime Minister’s resignation on November 6, 1979, and while appreciating Mr. Bazargan’s efforts during his presidency, the Council of the Islamic Revolution was obliged to prepare for a new constitutional referendum, the first Islamic Consultative Assembly elections, and the election of the first President of Iran.

Among the measures taken during the provisional government were Iran’s membership in the Non-Aligned Movement, severing political ties with two racist Israeli and South African governments, severing political ties with Egypt through the insistence of Imam Khomeyni, the withdrawal from the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) and the drafting of the press law bill.