The issue of political parties and their relationship with elections, as well as the role of both in the realm of policy-making in the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a topic that has been less explored as an interconnected system. Since the beginning of the Constitutional Revolution in 1906, when the subjects of elections and parliament were introduced as two essential pillars of democracy from the West into Iranian political literature, the issue of political parties and their relation to governance has always faced challenges. This article aims to examine the lack of institutional and systematic connection between political parties and the policy-making system in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this context, we seek to answer the question: What is the role of political parties and the party system in Iran’s policy-making? The theoretical framework of this article is an institutional analysis that attempts to examine the impact of the political party institution on the policy-making institution. The course of this article is exploratory and focuses on the study of a relationship, rather than causal analysis. The conclusion we reached in response to the research question is that in the absence of party governance, alternative processes for the role of parties in Iran’s policy-making include social groundwork and discourse creation, which can compensate for the lack of party authenticity, the passivity of parties, negative beliefs, and their inefficiency and legitimacy through elections due to national solidarity and the neutralization of conspiracies.
 
Introduction and Problem Statement
The policy-making system in the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to many modern governance models, has not had a direct connection with political parties and has primarily been based on appointive, non-partisan, and sometimes personality-driven structures. In contrast, in many countries, political parties are not only the driving force behind political participation but also serve as mechanisms for transferring public demands to the decision-making level. This article, with an exploratory and institutional perspective, examines the role and status of political parties in the country’s policy-making structure and seeks to portray a realistic image of the influence and performance of parties in the policy production process in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The central question of the article is: In the absence of party governance, what alternative processes have taken the place of the role of parties in policy-making in Iran?
 
Research Methodology
The research method is qualitative, based on thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 45 activists, elites, and political decision-makers. Using theoretical sampling and analyzing data from the interviews, three stages of coding (open, axial, and selective) were conducted, through which key themes were extracted. This research is considered applicable in terms of purpose and cross-sectional in terms of time, and it seeks to achieve a deeper understanding of the state of political parties and policy-making in Iran based on institutional analysis.
 
Theoretical Framework
The article is based on the institutionalism approach, a theoretical stream that emphasizes the stability and impact of institutional structures on political behavior. According to this view, institutions determine the rules of the political game and shape behaviors even in the absence of individual will. In Iran, non-partisan institutional traditions, appointive structures, and ambiguous legislation regarding parties have kept political parties on the periphery of policy-making. New Institutionalism is employed in this article to analyze the interaction between the political party institution and policy-making structures.
 
Findings
Question 1: In the absence of party governance, what are the alternative processes?
Analysis of interviews revealed that two processes, “shared discourse creation” and “social groundwork,” have been identified as alternative pathways to fill the gap left by the formal activities of parties. Interviewees believe that through media, universities, cultural and social institutions, as well as informal elites, public discourses have emerged that in some way fulfill the traditional role of parties in mobilizing public opinion and directing political demands.
 
Question 2: What is the nature of the policy-making system in the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Six main themes were extracted from the analysis:

Lack of party authenticity (formal presence of parties, lack of internal cohesion)
Incompatibility of parties with the velayat structure
Passivity of parties (functional weakness, lack of authority)
Negative social beliefs about parties
Lack of effectiveness of parties in the policy-making mechanism
Legitimacy issue: Some parties are only recognized formally, yet they lack legal authority and a defined institutional status.
In general, policy-making in Iran is more influenced by appointive institutions such as the Guardian Council, Expediency Discernment Council, and leadership, and parties generally play a marginal, reactive, and non-structural role.

 
Question 3: What is the status and role of parties in the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Three key themes were identified:

Inefficient management (lack of planning, absence of a clear functional and executive framework)
Relative dynamism (cultural intermediary role, public mobilization, connecting the people and the government)
Authoritarianism within parties (dominance of personality-driven leadership, rent-seeking, lack of internal democracy)
Iranian parties not only lack sufficient legal structures, but their formal role is often enhanced during election seasons and then recedes to the periphery. This situation has prevented parties from playing a stable and effective role in the policy-making structure.

 
Question 4: What is the role of elections in linking parties and policy-making?
Parties in Iran become active only during election periods. Analyses indicate that parties have been able to play two limited roles through elections:

Creating national solidarity: through public mobilization, forming coalitions, and public participation.
Neutralizing conspiracies: by presenting a united front of the Iranian political community, even if there is no real party function.
However, elections in Iran are more based on individuals and lists associated with political currents rather than being based on party competition. This has prevented elections from leading to a structural party system.

 
Conclusion and Recommendations
The results indicate that in the absence of party governance, the role of parties in policy-making has become very limited and symbolic. The main problems include the lack of a legal link between the law of parties and the election law, the weakness of supportive institutions, the absence of institutional incentives for healthy party competition, and a security-oriented view of political activity.
 The article’s recommendations for reforming this situation include:

Enacting effective laws for the presence of parties in official policy-making institutions;
Developing policies to enhance interaction between the electoral system and the party system;
Providing financial and media incentives for active parties;
Reforming party laws to strengthen their oversight, expert, and transitional roles in the decision-making process.