Iran commemorates Islamic Republic Day

Iran marks the 35th anniversary of the historic referendum in which the nation overwhelmingly voted yes to the establishment of the Islamic Republic following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

In a landmark referendum held on March 30-31, 1979, less than two months after the collapse of the US-backed Pahlavi regime, over 98.2 percent of eligible Iranian voters approved the establishment of an Islamic republic in the country.

The system was established in Iran in line with the popular motto of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that demanded “Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic” for the country.

Since then, the nation annually celebrates Farvardin 12 in the Iranian calendar year, which falls on April 1 in normal years and March 31 in leap years, as the anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, referred to as the Islamic Republic Day.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty, the second and last monarch of which was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and put an end to 2,500 years of monarchic rule in Iran.

The Revolution, which was spearheaded by late Imam Khomeini, established a new political system based on Islamic values and democracy.