Short answer

1. Political legitimacy is the recognition that a government receives as the rightful possessor of power, and one source of legitimacy in the Iranian political system is the government's status as an Islamic theocracy. Because a large portion of the population is very religious, Islam is a powerful tool for unification and the government's incorporation of the religion gives those in power a sense of righteousness by association, as well as adhering to a strong cultural tradition. This gives people something to respect about the government, making them more willing to act as the government indicates, and thus giving it legitimacy.

2. Jurist's guardianship is the principle that allows for religious oversight in various areas of life: historically, it was mainly focused on people such as orphans, minors, and women, but when Khomeini established his theocracy, he interpreted it to apply to everyone, in the stated interest of making sure people were taken care of by following Islamic law uniformly, in order to prevent immorality. It has impacted the Iranian political system by leaving the system largely in the control of those who wield religious authority of some kind, as with the Guardian Council, who are allowed to approve candidates that they believe will suitably support Islamic law as a part of the council's guardianship responsibilities: giving people a selection of candidates who will not defy Islamic law, in the council's judgement.

4. A rentier state is one in which the state lends land, typically to foreign powers, for the use of oil drilling, to the point that this becomes a key pillar of the economy. One rentier state state is Iran, which has, as defined, rented out significant portions of its land to foreign powers to drill for oil. However, rentier states often has a problem when oil prices decline globally and when demands for oil lessen, meaning that the good which provides a keystone for the economy is less valuable and thus damaging the state's financial wellbeing as revenues from oil decline.

5. A theocracy is a state governed by religious officials out of the belief that they are the only proper interpreters of religious law, and that this law should be applied throughout many areas of life. Two national institutions in Iran that have members directly elected by citizens are the Majles, the officially secular legislative body responsible for passing laws, and approving the budget and treaties; and the Assembly of Religious Experts, which holds the authority to interpret religious law as well as the constitution, and decide whether or not laws such as those considered or passed by the Majles are properly fit to shari'a, Islamic law. However, they are not as powerful as the Guardian Council.

Free Response

1. a. In both Iran and Nigeria, the president is chosen by a direct popular vote of the people.

b. In Iran, the president must be a candidate approved by the Guardian Council, who rely on the principle of jurist's guardianship to select candidates that they believe will support the morals and laws of Islam, while in Nigera, presidential candidates are not required to seek approval from any official body. Furthermore, in Nigeria...

c.   The Nigerian president has more power than the Iranian president because Nigeria established a presidential system in a country accustomed to totalitarian rule, a tradition which made it easier for the executive to accumulate extensive power over a period of time through a series of military rulers who forced other government bodies to act according to their wishes and weakened these other institutions, a history which has made it difficult for a more even redistribution of power. However, Iran's current government is not a true presidential system, with the real head of state being the Supreme leader, and a government formed overall on the principle of jurist's guardianship, relying on the law of Islam and its interpretation rather than on an individual. In fact, the current government was formed following a revolution against a ruler with totalitarian leanings that were seen as dangerous, and so the officially secular president receives little power compared to the religious leader.

2. a. Political competition is the capability of a variety of individuals to run for political offices on different platforms, allowing for competition between a wide range of views to occur and therefore also allowing people to select the individual whose views they most support to take office as the winner. Transparency is, in political terms, how available information about a particular candidate, official, or subject is, and thus is crucial in the ability of people to learn what they need to about these things and make informed decisions pertaining to them.