Analyzing the Dual Role of Political Parties in the Hybrid Power Structure Case Study: The Islamic Republic Party from Establishment to Dissolution

Khosravi Zargaz, Moslem; Sinaee, Vahid; Athari, Seyed Hoosain; Mohaghar, Ahmad

doi:10.22034/ipsa.2026.567

Analyzing the Dual Role of Political Parties in the Hybrid Power Structure Case Study: The Islamic Republic Party from Establishment to Dissolution

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Moslem Khosravi Zargaz

vahid sinaee

seyed hoosain athari

Ahmad mohaghar

Faculty member, Department of Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

https://doi.org/10.22034/ipsa.2026.567

Abstract

In hybrid power structures, political parties play a complex and dual role that stems from the multilayered and contradictory nature of these regimes. On the one hand, parties function as participatory institutions engaged in electoral processes and power distribution; on the other, they are shaped by unelected institutions and dominant authorities, serving to reproduce the system and reinforce its hybrid character. This dual function plays a critical role in the weakening, delegitimization, and eventual instability of political parties within such systems.
The Islamic Republican Party (IRP), established in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, represents a clear example of a dominant party with a dual role in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Following the establishment of the new regime, the IRP simultaneously worked to consolidate the political system and strengthen its own position as the dominant party. Through control of key institutions, elimination of opposition groups, and alliances with ideologically aligned political forces, the party played a central role in solidifying the power structure of the Islamic Republic. However, structural constraints, a narrowing political space, and concerns over internal divisions among regime supporters and party factions eventually led to the suspension of the party’s activities and its formal dissolution.

Keywords

Political Parties

Power Structure

Hybrid Regime

Jomhoori-Eslaami Party

Iran