The Assembly of Experts is Iran's directly elected body of Shia clerics that selects, monitors, and can theoretically dismiss the Supreme Leader, making it the only institution with formal removal power over Iran's top executive (AP Comp Gov Topics 2.3 and 2.5).
The Assembly of Experts is an elected body of Shia clerics in Iran with one headline job. It chooses the Supreme Leader, supervises his performance, and holds the formal power to remove him if he can no longer fulfill his duties. That makes it unique among the six AP Comp Gov course countries, because nowhere else does a body of religious scholars sit above the chief executive in this way.
Here's the catch you need for the exam. Members of the Assembly are directly elected by Iranian voters, which sounds democratic, but every candidate is first vetted by the Guardian Council, whose members are themselves appointed (directly or indirectly) by the Supreme Leader. So the Supreme Leader influences who gets to sit on the body that oversees him. This circular relationship is exactly why Iran is described as a theocracy with limited democratic elements, and it explains why the Assembly has never actually removed a Supreme Leader in practice.
This term lives in Unit 2: Political Institutions, specifically Topic 2.3 (Executive Systems) and Topic 2.5 (Removal of Executives). It supports learning objective AP Comp Gov 2.3.A, which asks you to explain the structure, function, and change of executive leadership across course countries, and AP Comp Gov 2.5.A, which asks you to describe how other institutions can remove executive leaders. The Assembly of Experts is Iran's answer to both questions. When the CED says executive removal procedures "control the abuse of power" (2.5.A), Iran is the case where that control exists on paper but is weakened by the vetting loop. That gap between formal power and actual practice is one of the most testable ideas in the whole course.
Keep studying AP Comparative Government Unit 2
Ayatollah / Supreme Leader (Unit 2)
The Assembly of Experts only matters because of who it picks. The Supreme Leader is Iran's head of state, commander in chief, and the most powerful figure in the regime, so the body that selects and monitors him sits at the very top of Iran's institutional chart.
Theocracy (Units 1-2)
The Assembly is Exhibit A for why Iran counts as a theocracy. Religious qualifications, not popular mandate alone, determine who holds ultimate executive power, since only clerics can serve and only a cleric can be chosen as Supreme Leader.
Removal of Executives across course countries (Unit 2)
In Russia, the UK, Mexico, and Nigeria, legislatures handle removal through impeachment or no-confidence procedures. Iran splits removal in two. The Majles and judiciary can move against the President, but only the Assembly of Experts can remove the Supreme Leader. Comparison questions love this asymmetry.
Elections with vetted candidates (Units 2 and 4)
Assembly elections show how Iran blends democratic forms with authoritarian control. Voters cast real ballots, but the Guardian Council decides who appears on them, so the election legitimizes the system without threatening it.
Multiple-choice questions usually test whether you know who removes whom in Iran. A classic stem asks which body can remove the Supreme Leader (the Assembly of Experts) or who can remove the President (the Supreme Leader, not the Assembly). Comparison stems pair Iran with Russia or another course country and ask you to contrast removal procedures, so know that Russia uses legislative impeachment while Iran's top executive answers only to this clerical body. The College Board has used the Assembly of Experts in free-response questions before, including the 2019 SAQ. On FRQs, the winning move is describing both the formal power (selection and removal of the Supreme Leader) and the practical limit (Guardian Council vetting means the Assembly rarely challenges him, and it has never removed a Supreme Leader).
Both are clerical bodies in Iran, and mixing them up is the most common error on this material. The Assembly of Experts is elected by voters and deals with the Supreme Leader (selecting, supervising, and theoretically removing him). The Guardian Council is appointed, vets all candidates for elected office (including Assembly candidates), and reviews legislation for compatibility with Islamic law. Quick memory hook. The Assembly handles the Leader; the Guardian Council guards the elections and the laws.
The Assembly of Experts is Iran's directly elected body of Shia clerics that selects the Supreme Leader and is the only institution with the formal power to remove him.
Its members are popularly elected, but every candidate must first be approved by the Guardian Council, which the Supreme Leader heavily influences, creating a circular accountability problem.
The Assembly has never removed a Supreme Leader in practice, so it illustrates the gap between formal constitutional power and actual political behavior.
The Assembly of Experts does not remove Iran's President; that power belongs to the Supreme Leader, typically after action by the Majles or the judiciary.
For Topic 2.5 comparisons, remember that most course countries use legislative impeachment to remove executives, while Iran's top executive can only be removed by this clerical body.
It's Iran's elected body of Shia clerics responsible for selecting, supervising, and potentially removing the Supreme Leader. It appears in Unit 2 under executive systems (Topic 2.3) and removal of executives (Topic 2.5).
No. Despite holding the formal power to do so, the Assembly has never removed a Supreme Leader. AP questions use this fact to test the difference between formal authority and actual practice in Iran's theocracy.
No, and this is a frequent trap answer on multiple-choice questions. The President can be removed by the Supreme Leader, usually following a vote by the Majles or a ruling by the judiciary. The Assembly of Experts only deals with the Supreme Leader.
The Assembly of Experts is elected and handles the Supreme Leader's selection and removal. The Guardian Council is appointed, vets candidates for all elections (including Assembly elections), and reviews laws for compliance with Islamic principles. Different jobs, both clerical.
Yes, Iranian citizens directly elect Assembly members, but every candidate must first pass Guardian Council vetting. Since the Supreme Leader shapes the Guardian Council, he indirectly filters who can sit on the body that oversees him.