Khamenei last supreme leader of Iran?

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Concern over political corruption in the office of Iran's supreme leader suggests Ali Khamenei may be the last person to hold the position, an analyst said.

Khamenei ascended to the role of supreme leader following the death of the founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

The constitution of Iran calls for a velayat-e faqih, or guardian jurist who is appointed by God to serve as the ultimate jurisprudent.

Shiite clerics in the seminaries of the holy city of Qom, however, are debating over how to eliminate the post, saying political power is illegitimate in the absence of the Twelfth Imam, the Shiite savior.

Religious critics worry that the supreme leader's response to the June election protests in Iran and Khamenei's tacit backing of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will lead to political autocracy, suggesting the position is out step with the true principles of the republic, writes Geneive Abdo, a fellow at the Century Foundation.

Abdo, writing in the U.S. news magazine Newsweek, points to statements made by Khamenei critic Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, who claims the supreme leader position is akin to worshiping several gods. Montazeri also claims that the supreme leader is only a legitimate leader if backed by the people, which post-election sentiment in Iran suggests is not the case.

Khamenei supporters argue the supreme leader is appointed by God and not the people, though several clerical academics see the post as increasingly vulnerable.