On the eve of Iran’s 11th presidential polls, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has stressed in his speeches the importance of elections and its role in planning for the country’s future.
In his most important speech in this regard that was delivered on Tuesday, June 4, at the mausoleum of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini (RA) on the occasion of his 24th passing away anniversary, the Leader said: "Elections are a manifestation of self-confidence because any vote cast into the ballot box is in fact an attempt to play a role in the destiny of the country."
He cautioned against the plot of the enemies to mislead the Iranian people and to discourage them from turning out in large numbers for the polls scheduled for June 14, and said such plots will fail, as is evident by the enthusiasm amongst the Iranian masses. He said the popular Islamic system of Iran cannot be undermined either by propaganda or by the illegal sanctions. The claimants of democracy ought to know that real freedom and popular participation is fully seen in the Islamic system and not in the West.
Over the past 34 years, Iran has held on an average at least one general election every year, including 10 rounds of presidential polls, 8 rounds of parliamentary polls, 3 rounds of local council elections, 2 referendums and 4 rounds of elections for the Assembly of Experts.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the ill-wishers of the Iranian nation and their think tanks have resorted to false claims that the election will be engineered or that it is not a legitimate and free election.
He asked as to which part of the world, are candidates - ranging from famous figures to unknown individuals - allowed to use national media outlets equally? The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: In the US and other capitalist countries, if a person is not a member of the existing two or three parties and if not supported by the mafia of wealth and power, and of course by the Zionist propaganda network, he has no prospect of being a candidate.
In the decadent system of liberal democracies in the West, the political system is restricted to two or in rare cases, three parties, and power is always rotated among them. Thus, said Ayatollah Khamenei, if a comparison is made between the popular Islamic Republic system of Iran and western democracies, without the least doubt Iran enjoys more democracy.
One of the most important conditions for a candidate in Iran is belief in the constitution and commitment to its principles, in addition to his record of practical managerial talents, which means the candidate in Iran, unlike in the West, is a religiously and politically aware person. The unique system of checks and counter checks, as is evident in Iran by the supervision of the constitutional body called the Council of Guardian, prevents any abuse of power or rise of dictatorial tendencies.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution noted that in Iran, candidates can talk for hours to the people without spending a riyal, and have equal opportunities in utilizing the national TV-Radio networks. Neither the leadership nor the national TV-Radio networks show any bias or preference for any candidate.
Ayatollah Khamenei has several times warned of the feverish attempts of the enemies of the Iranian people to misled them, and was confident that the Muslim masses, as usual, will not take the bait of the enemies of Iran and Islam. In spite of economic problems, the Iranian people are as enthusiastic as ever, and eager to turn out in record numbers to determine the future path of the Islamic Republic or Iran.
June14 is indeed the day of destiny for the Iranian people of their decision and having full faith in Almighty Allah, by Whose Grace, Iran is making progress in all fields and directions. This indeed is the unique feature of the Islamic Republic system, which is more fully representative and popular among the people than the secular democracies of the West.
