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"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
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The
National Spiritual Assembly |
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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.
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The National Spiritual Assembly of Zaire.
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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. >
MORE
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Excerpted
from The Bahá'ís, a publication of the Bahá'í
International Community.
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