Seljuqia is a nation rich in tradition as in natural resources.  Its history spans back through the centuries of dynastical monarchies, Islamic caliphates, and finally an Islamic republic.  The country suffers from chronic opium abuse, and constant rallying cries to open up the political process and mandate more federal civil rights legislation.  Another main political outcry is the delicate balance of building a federal democratic republican form of government, while maintaining compliance with Shia Islam.  However, most Seljuqians remain optimistic about their future; they have just finished with presidential elections and darkhorse candidate and political party Abolhassan Najafi of the Democratic People’s Party secured the Ramallah (Presidential Palace in the Holy Citadel in Downtown Tehran) and have promised to balance the competing demands of inflation, civil rights, and Shia Islam.

I. Basic Information

Seljuquia  (SEL)

II. Vital Statistics

Sub-Region: Central

 

Provinces (8): 82-Tabriz; 83-Dezful; 84-Abadan; 85-Aruk; 86-Tehran; 87-Bojnurd; 88-Isfaham; 89-Shiraz

 

Population: 68,020,000

 

Gross Domestic Product:  $487.8 billion

 

 

III. Government

Country Name:

             Conventional Long Form:  The People’s Islamic Republic of Seljuqia

             Long Local Form: Shabiyah-Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Seljuqia

             Local Short Form: Seljuqia

 

Country Motto: Esteghlâl, Azâdi, Jomhouri-ye Islâmi

 

Government Type: People’s Republic (Islamic Theocracy)

 

Independence: April 1, 1979 — from Zaratrhustra

 

National Holiday: April 1  (Independence Day)

 

Legal System:  Islamic Common Law

 

Suffrage: Universal suffrage

 

 

 

Head of State: President Abolhassan Najafi

 

Head of Government: President Abolhassan Najafi (Democratic People’s Party)

 

Cabinet:

Vice-President:  Ja'far Talaqani

Attorney General:  Ebrahim Kazemi

Secretariat of State: Javaneh Ammini
Secretariat of War: Mozaffar Meshkat
Secretariat of Treasury: Tala Izadi
Secretariat of Education: Tahmaseb Armanjani
Secretariat of Transportation: Sheyda Na'imi
Secretariat of Justice: Abbas Ettehadieh

Secretariat of Commerce:  Azita Qashqai

Secretariat of Agriculture:  Laila Shirazi

Secretariat of Health and Human Services:  Nasser Ghurani

Secretariat of Environment:  Mehdi Mossadegh

Secretariat of Energy:  Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh

 

Method of Election/Term Length:  President elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits).

 

Date of Last Election/Results: June 17, 2005; Najafi 29.6%; Hashemi 22.7%; Zahak 11%

 

Date of Next Election: June 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV. Executive Branch

V. Legislative Branch

Major Political Parties:

             Democratic Left Party;

             Democratic People's Party;

             Liberal Democratic Party;           Nationalist Action Party;

             Republican People's Party;

             Social Democratic People's Party

              

Political Pressure Groups: Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat)

 

Legislature: Unicameral —        Senate

               550 members (elected by popular vote – proportional      

              representational system) to serve 5-year terms – no limits

                          

Last Election Date: February 20, 2004

 

Last Election Results:

             34.3% - Democratic Left Party; 19.4% - Democratic People's Party; 9.6% - Republican People's Party; 8.3% - Liberal Democratic Party; 5.1% - Social Democratic People's Party; 1.1%.

 

Next Election Date: February 20, 2008

VI. Judiciary Branch

Supreme Court Justices: 12

 

Process through which Justices Come to Power: Appointed by the President and ratified by the Senate

VII. Foreign Policy

International Organization Participation:

             OPEC, African Union, UN (Observer Status)

 

Territorial Disputes:  N/A

VIII. Economy

Seljuqia’s economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services.  Inflation is still a major problem, but unemployment is relatively more of an issue; 11.2% - while inflation is 13.5%.  Current administration policies are not sympathetic to the IMF or World Bank, and currently rather large consortiums of politicians are lobbying for the Bank of Iran (our privately owned central bank) to be nationalized under the Treasury Department.  Over a 3^rd of the country’s population is in the labor force, and currently there is a massive shortage of skilled labor.

GDP Growth Rate: 6.1%

 

GDP Per Sector:

                 Agriculture: 11.6

                 Industry: 42.4%

                 Services: 46%     

 

Unemployment Rate:

                 Urban Areas: N/A

                 Rural Areas: N/A

 

Percentage of Population Below the Poverty Line: 40%

                 Urban Areas: N/A

                 Rural Areas: N/A

 

Inflation: 13.5%

 

Electric Production by Source:

                 Fossil Fuel: 13.2%

                 Hydro: 26.8%

                 Nuclear: 55.2%

                 Other: 4.8%

 

Nuclear Energy Capabilities: Uranium Enrichment

 

Currency Name: The Rival

 

Current External Debt: N/A

 

Current Creditor States: N/A

 

 

 

ANNUAL SURPLUS (EXPORTS)

CURRENT NATIONAL DEMAND (IMPORTS)

IX. Infrastructure

Ports and Harbors: 7 (Ports and Harbors):  Anzali; Noshahr; Tehran; Imam Khomeini; Bushehr; Bandar Abbas; Chabahar

 

Airports with Paved Runways: 129

 

Major International Airports: Mehrabad International Airport (MEH)

 

 

 

 

 

X. Social Indicators

Life Expectancy at Birth:

                 Male: 68.86 years

                 Female: 71.74 years

 

Total Fertility Rate: 1.8

                

Nationality:

                 Noun: Seljuqian(s)

                 Adjective: Seljuquian

 

Ethnic Groups:

                 Persian 71%

                 Azeri 29%

 

Religions:

                 Shi'a Muslim 89%,

                 Sunni Muslim 9%,                  Zoroastrian, Jewish,                  Christian, and Baha'i 2%

 

Languages:

                 Official - Persian (Farsi) 68%;                  Turkish 22%;

                 official – Arabic 10%

                 (Mostly in religious circles and                  religious clergy)

 

Literacy (definition — age 15 and over can read and write):

                 Total Population: 79.4%

                 Male: 85.6%

                 Female: 73%

 

HIV/AIDS

 Adult Prevalence Rate: >0.1%

 People Living with HIV/AIDS: 31,000

 Deaths in Past Year: 800

 

Major Infectious Diseases/Risk:  N/A

 

 

XI. Military

Military Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces

 

Military Service: Compulsory, age 18

 

Manpower Avail. For Military Service: 18,319,545

 

Military Expenditures per Year: $4.3 Billion

 

 

Military Expenditures as Percentage of GDP: 3.3%

 

Weapons of Mass Destruction:

                 Nuclear: N/A

                 Chemical: N/A

                 Biological: N/A

XII. Transnational Disputes

Territorial Disputes: Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

 

 

Non-Territorial Disputes: Despite substantial interdiction efforts, Seljuqia remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to official Seljuqian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users in the country; lacks anti-money-laundering laws

Updated:  August 16, 2006

Seljuquia

President Abolhassan Najafi

AU Representative Kamal Kharrazi

AU Member