The Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.

A Bahá'í election in Thailand.

A local Spiritual Assembly meets in the Philippines.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Zaire.

Members of the first Universal House of Justice, as elected in 1963.

A System for Global Governance

THE BAHÁ'Í ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Following a framework set down by Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í communities conduct their business through a distinctive system of freely elected governing councils that challenge commonly accepted ideas about the inherent limitations of democracy.

To describe the twentieth century in a phrase, it has been a single, long experiment in global governance. Underlying the most dynamic movements, conflicts and institutions of the last 90 years has been a key question: how shall humanity govern itself?

By early in the century, absolute monarchy had been rejected; the First World War dismantled its remaining institutions. The Second World War settled the question of fascism and led to the end of colonialism. Now, the most ambitious experiment of all, communism, has been equally discredited.

Only democracy remains.

But what kind of democracy?

Although clearly superior to other systems so far tried, democracy as practiced today is nevertheless undergoing its own convulsions.

In the West, despite its successes, the multi-party system seems increasingly to reveal its limitations. In many countries, the corruption, mud-slinging, negative campaigning, vote pandering and indecisiveness have lead to voter apathy on a scale that threatens the integrity of the whole system.

In the East, new democratic experiments are threatened by a host of problems and forces, including a lack of experience, ages-old ethnic tensions, and varying cultural expectations.

Growing numbers of people today wonder whether any form of government is really viable any longer.

On the periphery of this debate is the extraordinary alternative being developed by the worldwide Bahá'í community. The administrative system through which the community conducts affairs was laid down in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and is designed to give practical expression to the social principles He taught. Indeed, the idea that there exists a divine pattern for the continuing administration of the Bahá'í faith is as important to the definition of Bahá'í belief and practice as are the spiritual and social doctrines of Bahá'u'lláh.

Authority to decide in community affairs rests in the hands of freely-elected governing councils functioning at the local, national and international levels. Although many of its elements are similar to other practices for democratic election, administration and governance, when viewed as a whole the Bahá'í system stands in sharp contrast. The election process, for example, excludes any form of campaigning, electioneering or nominations. Yet it offers every individual elector the widest possible choice of candidates.

The decision-making process used by the councils is likewise distinctive. Its method is non-adversarial, seeking to build community consensus by bringing together the concerns of various constituencies, instead of setting them off against one another.

Individual Expression

The message of Bahá'u'lláh is addressed not only to humanity in the collective, but to the consciousness of each individual person. "Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in," is His summons, "and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements." The individual possesses moral, intellectual and spiritual powers central to the advancement of civilization. The release of these creative potentialities of the rational soul is, therefore, as much a challenge to the governance of human affairs as is the promotion of a democratic process of decision-making.

"In every country where any of this people reside, they must behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and truthfulness." -- Bahá'u'lláh

The administrative order established by Bahá'u'lláh requires the elected institutions to stimulate the developments and exercise of these powers. It augments the provisions for meeting this requirement, however, through complementary institutions charged with counseling, encouraging and assisting both the individual members of the Bahá'í community and its elected bodies. Those who perform this essential service, both men and women, are selected on the basis of the eminence they have attained thorough broad experience, mature wisdom and other distinctive personal qualities.

Their appointment endows the Bahá'í community with a corps of highly diverse individuals who provide inspiration in applying Bahá'u'lláh's teaching in everyday life. Although not possessing a decision-making authority, these distinguished servants of the Faith are assured that their advice plays a major role in shaping the life of the Bahá'í community.

The members of these appointive institutions do not represent an ecclesiastical caste. They serve for appointed terms, resuming their places as regular members of the community when their term or terms end. Their duties do not include any priestly functions, nor do they have an authority in interpreting the Bahá'í teachings, however much their views and insights may be respected by believers and administrative councils alike.

Group Decision-Making

Founded on a common set of electoral and consultative principles, the Bahá'í system of community decision-making is organized around a set of freely-elected governing councils. This hierarchy devolves decision-making to the lowest level practicable--thereby constituting a unique vehicle for grassroots democracy-while at the same time providing a level of coordination and authority that makes possible cooperation on a global scale.

The Local Assembly

At its foundation, the Bahá'í administrative order rests on the local Spiritual Assembly, a community governing council elected each year in every community where there are nine or more adult Bahá'ís. It is worth describing in some detail the operation of the local Spiritual Assembly, as many of its features are reflected at the national and international levels.

Typically, the reach of the local Spiritual Assembly is defined by the municipal boundaries established by the government. In other words, all Bahá'ís who live within the boundaries of a particular village, town, city, parish, or governing district are considered to be within the jurisdiction of the local Spiritual Assembly of that locality.

The local Spiritual Assembly is elected each year by secret ballot. In April, all adult Bahá'ís in the given community gather for an election. Those who cannot personally attend are encouraged to submit absentee ballots. After a period of prayer and meditation, each adult then writes down nine names: the names of those nine individuals that he or she feels are best qualified to administer the affairs of the community.

The qualities such individuals should possess are spelled out quite clearly in the Bahá'í writings. Those participating in the election should consider "the names of only those who can best combine the necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience."

Perhaps the most surprising aspect to this process is the absence of a prepared ballot or of any system of nominations. Instead, every adult Bahá'í in the community is eligible for election to the local Spiritual Assembly.

Those elected to the Assembly need not receive a majority of votes; rather, the nine individuals who receive the highest number of votes are selected. Since everyone in the community is, in essence, up for election, individual voters have the opportunity to vote according to their conscience with an absolute freedom of choice.

Accordingly, individuals with a recognized maturity, experience and humility tend to be elected--instead of simply those who might be bold or egotistical enough to run for office.

Although this system defies political convention, it is surprisingly effective in practice. The whole emphasis of the Bahá'í electoral system is to bring forth leaders who possess qualities of selflessness, intellectual capacity and wisdom.

At the present time, local Spiritual Assemblies oversee a wide variety of activities--activities that comprise the essence of Bahá'í community life. These activities include the education of children, devotional services, study classes, discussions, social events, the observance of holy days, marriages, divorces, and funeral services. Many local Spiritual Assemblies around the world also oversee ongoing small-scale educational, economic or environmental development projects.

Local Spiritual Assemblies also supervise the Nineteen Day Feast, which as noted earlier, is the cornerstone of community activity. [See page 12] And, although the Assembly is ultimately the final source for authoritative decision-making in the community, the institution of the Feast provides an important component of grassroots governance.

The counselling institutions play an important role in assisting and encouraging group decision-making, quite as they do in the encouragement of the individual believer. Drawing on their mature experience, the members of these supportive institutions provide advice that focusses attention on the principles in the Bahá'í writings, and on a range of alternative actions that have been successfully attempted in similar situations. The local Spiritual Assemblies retain the right of final decision on the issues under consideration, a right that is exercised in the privacy of their own consultations.

The National Spiritual Assembly

The same basic rules governing elections and decision-making are followed in the constitution and operation of Bahá'í governing councils at the national and international levels. National governing councils, known as National Spiritual Assemblies, are formed whenever there is a sufficient base of local Bahá'í communities in a given country or territory.

Accordingly, as the Faith has grown, so have the number of National Spiritual Assemblies. In 1954, for example, there were just 12 National Spiritual Assemblies. By 1992, there were 165 National Spiritual Assemblies around the world--in nearly every country.

The same basic procedures outlined for the election of local Spiritual Assemblies are followed in electing National Spiritual Assemblies: no nominations are permitted, campaigning is forbidden, spiritual capacity is emphasized, and those men and women who receive the most votes are elected.

In this case, however, the voters are delegates to a national convention and they may vote for any adult Bahá'í residing in the country. These delegates are chosen each year in a secret ballot by the adult Bahá'ís who reside within specially defined electoral districts. The districts cover the entire country.

Just as the men and women serving on local Spiritual Assemblies oversee Bahá'í community affairs within a municipal locality, National Spiritual Assemblies are charged with guiding and coordinating Bahá'í activities within a given country. Their tasks range from the initiation and administration of large-scale social and economic development projects to book publishing; from overseeing relations with their respective national governments to the coordination of collaboration with other religious groups and non-governmental organizations.

The Universal House of Justice

At the head of the Bahá'í administrative structure stands the Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá'í Faith. Composed of nine individuals, the Universal House of Justice is elected every five years by the combined membership of all of the world's National Spiritual Assemblies.

The process of election is much the same as for local and National Spiritual Assemblies: there are no nominations, campaigning is forbidden, and the nine persons who receive the most votes are elected. As with local and national elections, voters are expected to consider only individuals of recognized ability and spiritual capacity.

The entire election process is a powerful expression of democratic ideals. Although it is an international institution, the Universal House of Justice is nevertheless surprisingly close to the grassroots. The final election of the Universal House of Justice is just three steps away from the local level: every adult Bahá'í is eligible to participate in the election of a "district" delegate; district delegates in turn elect the members of their respective National Spiritual Assemblies; and the members of all National Spiritual Assemblies around the world in turn elect the Universal House of Justice.

Bahá'u'lláh Himself established the institution of the Universal House of Justice, and it occupies a unique position in the Bahá'í administrative order. Bahá'ís understand that its decision-making on spiritual matters is unerringly guided by God.

Bahá'u'lláh's teachings are the foundation of Bahá'í belief and practice. The Universal House of Justice has the authority to legislate on all matters which Bahá'u'lláh Himself did not address. If, for example, the development of some future technology poses a moral question which was unknown at the time of Bahá'u'lláh, it would fall to the Universal House of Justice to determine how to address that question. In this way, Bahá'ís believe, the Bahá'í Faith will continue to be guided by God until such time as the next Manifestation of God appears--an event which Bahá'u'lláh said will not occur before the passing of no less than a thousand years.

"The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men. The ocean of divine wisdom surgeth within this exalted word, while the books of the world cannot contain its inner significance." -- Bahá'u'lláh

It is important to note that, like members of national and local Assemblies, individual members of the Universal House of Justice have no power or authority on their own--however respected and honored as individuals they may be. Only when they are gathered together, meeting officially as the Universal House of Justice, are they considered to be divinely inspired. The cult of personality has been entirely avoided.