Arguably, the most distinguishing facet of Iran's post-revolutionary regime has been the plethora of institutions and competing power centers. The myriad religious and revolutionary bodies are constitutionally empowered to subdue and duplicate the functions of the central government and the republican institutions. This structural enigma is exacerbated by the existence of political factions dispersed throughout the Iranian polity. Although they maintain their allegiance to the tenets of the Islamic Revolution and the ideological legacy of Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini, factions provide divergent renditions on policies in different realms. For this reason, political outcomes in the Islamic Republic of Iran depend largely on the faction that controls the relevant organization or ministry.