People's Party (Iran)

{{About|Party in Iran|other parties with same name|People's Party (disambiguation){{!}}People's Party|the party within National Front|Party of the Iranian People}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = People's Party

| native_name = حزب مردم

| native_name_lang = fa

| logo = People_party_Iran.svg

| logo_size = 230px

| leader = Asadollah Alam

| foundation = {{start date|1957|5|16|df=y}}

| dissolved = {{start date|1975|3|2|df=y}}

| merged = Rastakhiz Party

| ideology = Royalism
Liberalism

| position = Centre-right

| colorcode = {{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}

| country = Iran

}}

People's Party ({{langx|fa|حزب مردم|Ḥezb-e Mardom}}) was a liberal{{cite book|first=Richard W.|last=Cottam|title=Nationalism in Iran: Updated Through 1978|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wHFXD9VV9t4C&q=Rumor+in+Tehran+had+it+that+Melliyun+%28%22conservative%22%29+had+been+allotted+two+seats+for+each+seat+given+Mardom+%28%22liberal%22%29+%2C+and+as+the+returns+began|year=1979|page=297|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Pre|isbn=0822974207|quote=Rumor in Tehran had it that Melliyun ("conservative") had been allotted two seats for each seat given Mardom ("liberal"), and as the returns began...}} political party in Pahlavi-era Iran. It was one of two major parties in the apparent attempt to decree a two-party system by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, apparently in opposition to the ruling New Iran Party and previously the Nationalists' Party. The party was dissolved in 1975, in order to be merged into the newly founded Rastakhiz Party, the only legal party in the Shah's attempted single-party system.Chehabi, Houchang E. (1990) Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini. I.B.Tauris

Leadership

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:100%; line-height:16px;"
+ Secretaries-General !Name !Tenure !Ref
\|Asadollah Alam	1957–1960
\|Yahya Adl	1960–1971
\|Alinaghi Kani	1971–1972
\|Yahya Adl	1972–1973
\|Nasser Ameri	1973–1975
\|Mohammad Fazaeli	1975

Electoral history

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

|+ Parliament

! Year

! Seats

! +/–

! Ref

1956

| {{composition bar compact|36|136|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{n/a}}

| Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, {{ISBN|0-19-924958-X}}{{rp|73}}

~~1960~~

| {{composition bar compact|25|200|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{n/a}}

1961

| {{composition bar compact|65|200|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{increase}} 29

| {{rp|73}}

1963

| {{composition bar compact|16|200|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{decrease}} 49

| {{rp|74}}

1967

| {{composition bar compact|31|219|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{increase}} 15

| {{rp|74}}

1971

| {{composition bar compact|37|268|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{increase}} 6

| {{rp|74}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

|+ Senate (elective seats)

! Year

! Seats

! +/–

! Ref

1960

| {{Unknown}}

| {{n/a}}

1963

| {{Unknown}}

| {{n/a}}

1967

| {{composition bar compact|4|30|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

1971

| {{composition bar compact|2|30|hex={{party color|People's Party (Iran)}}|per=1}}

| {{decrease}} 2

Reception

The party was often criticized for its "lethargic, belated and disorganized" election campaigns, as well as being incapable of preparing a viable alternative to the New Iran Party's platform, thus blamed for the latter's continuing domination of the political scene.{{cite journal|last=Ramazani|first=Rouhollah K.|title=Iran's 'White Revolution': a Study in Political Development|journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies|volume=5|issue=2|year=1974|pages=124–139 {{subscription required}}|doi=10.1017/S0020743800027781|jstor=162585|s2cid=154527381 }}

American diplomat Andrew Killgore described the party as "made up of cliques of followers of a few competing leaders who cooperate with one another for personal and pragmatic reasons but not out of any sense of party unity", what he calls a "traditional Iranian political party".{{citation|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve04/d230|title=Letter From the Embassy in Iran to the Country Director for Iran (Miklos)|date=30 October 1972|author=Andrew I. Killgore|publisher=Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State}}

= In popular culture =

According to Ervand Abrahamian, People's Party and New Iran Party were interchangeably called "Yes Sir, Party" ({{langx|fa|حزب بله‌قربان}}) and "Yes of Course Sir, Party" ({{langx|fa|حزب چشم‌قربان}}) by people, as members of the two parties in the National Consultative Assembly were assigned to their affiliation by the Shah and with the help of SAVAK.Abrahamian, Ervand. (2008) History of Modern Iran. Cambridge University Press.

References

Category:1957 establishments in Iran

Category:Political parties established in 1957

Category:1975 disestablishments in Iran

Category:Political parties disestablished in 1975

Category:Monarchist parties in Iran

Category:Political parties in Pahlavi Iran (1941–1979)

Category:Liberal parties in Iran