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Middle East Forum · Government Graph

Data Sources and Method

The Government Graph models each state as institutions, positions and typed relationships (appoints, confirms, elects, commands, vets, sponsors, parallel to). Parallel power structures that a constitution does not describe, such as the IRGC economy in Iran or militias, regional governments and clerical authorities elsewhere, sit in the same graph as the formal state. Structure is cited to the constitution or founding law on each node.

Officeholder Status

Verified means two independent source families agree, for example an official decree or government page and a named press outlet. Single source means one family only. Acting, vacant and unconfirmed are shown as such rather than filled with a guess. Every holder is dated, and the source sits beside each claim.

Sources

Officeholders are researched from official government, parliament, armed forces and central bank pages, named press outlets and the CIA World Leaders list, which is treated as a historical cross-check. Key indicators come from the World Bank World Development Indicators; each figure shows its own observation year. The relations-with-the-United-States block is curated by MEF from official US sources (State, Treasury, Congress, embassies) and named press, dated and labeled with the same statuses. Map boundaries are Natural Earth 1:50m de facto lines and are not an MEF position on any border.

Country Notes

Each country graph carries its own method note on the constitutional basis, transliteration and source caveats.

Corrections: info@meforum.org.

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