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While the theocratic institution of wilayat al faqih, or guardianship of the jurist, remains a central pillar of the system, its pivotal status increasingly appears in doubt, and it seems likely that a post-Khamenei leadership will involve a kind of supervisory council consisting of leading religious jurists (maraja) drawn from the elected Assembly of Experts, the electoral college which appoints and has the power to dismiss the religious leadership. The constitution envisages such a development and allows for it. It is something that Rafsanjani almost certainly supports as a benign evolution within the system. But real power will rest with the President with the Revolutionary Guard exerting power from behind the scenes as the military in Turkey continue to do.