Statements at the Meeting with Election Organizers

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I welcome all dear brothers and sisters; the custodians of a great and valuable national and Islamic trust. Each of you, in your respective roles within this vast assembly, will undertake and carry out an important, fundamental, effective, valuable, and, God willing, lasting task; whether it be the esteemed Guardian Council and the related supervisory bodies, the esteemed Ministry of Interior and the vast public and governmental organizations associated with this structure, or the officials responsible for maintaining a secure and healthy electoral environment, such as the police force and others.

Before I begin my brief remarks on this matter, I must refer to a bitter incident that has occurred recently; both the incident itself was bitter, and it revealed many hidden hands behind the scenes; that is, the incident of the desecration of the grave of the esteemed companion, Hajr ibn Adi (may God’s peace and blessings be upon him) and the insult to the body of this great figure. In many respects, this issue is bitter: the insult to a companion who is one of the great companions of the Prophet and one of the disciples of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and a martyr in the way of God, to have his grave desecrated after fourteen hundred years, to have his pure body exhumed and insulted, is a very bitter and sorrowful incident. Alongside this, another bitterness exists, which is that among the Muslim community and the Islamic Ummah, there are those who, with their vile, stagnant, backward, and superstitious thoughts, consider the veneration of the great figures and luminous personalities of early Islam as polytheism, as disbelief; this is truly a calamity. These are the same individuals whose predecessors destroyed the graves of the Imams (peace be upon them) in Baqi. On the day when the Islamic world, from the Indian subcontinent to Africa, rose against them, if they had dared, they would have destroyed the pure grave of the Prophet as well, leveling it to the ground. See what a false thought, what a vile spirit, what ill-minded individuals seek to violate respect for the great ones and consider it a religious duty! At the time when they destroyed Baqi, know this; the entire Islamic world protested against them. I mentioned that from the east of the Islamic geography - from India - to the west of the Islamic geography, they mobilized against them.

They carry out these vile actions under the pretext that these acts are acts of worship! Going to the grave of a human being and asking for mercy for him from the Almighty God, and asking for mercy for oneself in that spiritual and moral atmosphere, is polytheism? Polytheism is when a person becomes a tool in the hands of the policies of British intelligence and the CIA of America and, through these actions, causes the hearts of Muslims to be filled with sorrow and distress. They do not consider obedience and servitude to the living tyrants as polytheism, but they consider respect for the great ones as polytheism! This itself is a calamity. The vile takfiri movement that today, thanks to some material resources, unfortunately has money and means at its disposal, is one of the calamities of Islam.

Thanks be to God, the Shiites, wherever they are - whether here, in Iraq, in Pakistan, or in any of the places where Shiites have faced the events of these past few days - have shown that they possess intellectual growth. The enemy wants to strengthen the flames of conflict between Shia and Sunni with these actions; however, the large Shia community, the great family of the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt have shown that they will not fall for this game. Sunni brothers in many places have condemned this act; they too have demonstrated their awareness and insight. This must continue. This is not an issue that should create a stir in the world for two days, three days, five days, or a week, and then be abandoned. If these actions are not completely condemned by Muslims and if the scholarly and intellectual elites and political leaders do not fulfill their duties in the face of these actions, these seditions will not be limited to these instances; a calamity will befall the Islamic community, and day by day this fire will spread. They must be prevented from these seditions; whether through political means, through religious fatwas, or through enlightening articles by writers, intellectuals, and political elites in the world. It should be noted that in these actions, the hidden hands of the enemy are revealing their signs; this is not something that one can ignore. Those who mourn and make a fuss over the destruction of an ancient artifact in the world have remained silent in the face of this phenomenon; whether international organizations, international figures, or politicians who support these vile individuals; this indicates that they are involved in this issue; this issue reveals the hands behind it.

Know this: "Indeed, your Lord is surely on the lookout." God Almighty says: "Indeed, they plot a plot. And I plot a plot"; they devise schemes, but God's scheme will certainly prevail over their schemes, and this movement that seeks to obstruct the unity of the Islamic Ummah and the advancement of the Islamic Ummah will be halted.

The issue of elections over the past thirty-four years has been a determining and revitalizing matter for our country's movement. Throughout these years, the thirty or so elections that have been held and the people have gathered at the ballot boxes have each time repelled a calamity from the country and have been able to breathe a new spirit into the body of the country, the nation, and the revolution; this time, in some respects, is more important than some past elections; one reason - as has been pointed out - is that the presidential election and the council elections, and in some places, the mid-term elections of some other elections, have been combined.

The presidential election is very important, and the council elections are very important. It should be noted that attention to the presidential election should not distract the officials, the people, and the elites from the importance of the council elections. The fact that we entrust decisions and actions from the level of villages and cities to the level of the country into the hands of the people is a very important event. Councils are a manifestation of such a thing. The presidential apparatus, the importance of which is evident, has been provided with all this activity, effort, resources, and pathways toward the ideals in front of the governmental apparatus and the President; therefore, it is extremely important.

Holding elections in the country is one of the honors of the Islamic Republic. The day elections were discussed in this country, from the beginning of the Constitutional Revolution until the time of the Islamic Republic - before this, these discussions had no meaning - truly, a nationwide, public, and genuinely enthusiastic election had not occurred. Even during the national movement, although there was a real election, it was not at the level of the dignity of the Iranian people, that people from the depths of villages would come to the ballot boxes, recognize themselves, know themselves, and vote; this event only occurred in the Islamic Republic, and our great Imam was the initiator, designer, and architect of this structure. From the very beginning, he insisted that a referendum to determine the governing system in the Islamic Republic should be conducted as soon as possible.

In revolutions around the world, such actions occur after three years, four years, five years, sometimes even longer; however, in the Islamic Republic, less than fifty days after the victory of the revolution, a nationwide referendum was held, and that vast and immense population with that high turnout came to the ballot boxes and voted. What they voted for is a secondary issue; the primary issue is that the people demonstrated with all their being that they are present in the arena and are ready for action, decision-making, and determining the future policy. This is where the first brick was laid, the foundation was established, and it continued thereafter.

In the early days of the revolution, when the constitution had not yet been prepared and it was necessary to form the Assembly of Experts, only a few months had passed when the Imam summoned the Revolutionary Council to Qom. We went. The Imam reacted so sharply and bitterly: Why are you not taking action to form an assembly that can draft the constitution? The Imam was impatient. This is the nature of the Islamic Republic; this nature has thankfully remained in the Islamic Republic. Many sought to diminish the elections, to postpone them, to weaken and make the people's presence less vibrant - they had motives for this - but they could not; until today they have not been able to, and with God's grace, they will not be able to in the future. Why do they have motives to diminish the elections? Because the enemy knows that the strength of the Islamic Republic relies on the vote and presence of the people. In the Islamic Republic, if the people are not present, the Islamic Republic is nothing. The Islamic Republic is not just a few officials like myself; the Islamic Republic means the collective presence of the Iranian nation and the public movement toward great and practical ideals; this is the meaning of the Islamic Republic.

The reliance of the Islamic Republic and the power of the Islamic Republic is on the hearts of the people, on the emotions and feelings of the people, on the intellect and insight of the people. If, over the past thirty-some years, they have not been able to destabilize the Islamic Republic despite all these efforts, it is because of this; otherwise, this material world, this arrogant world, these oppressive and ruthless and vile powers, how could they allow a system with these claims that the Islamic Republic has to survive? You see what they do to countries where a movement named Islam has arisen; they put them under pressure, impose their demands on them by force, and compel them. In the Islamic Republic, these actions did not happen; they could not. The enemy wants to impose its demands on the Islamic Republic, to bring the Islamic Republic under its command; and this can only happen if the Islamic Republic is weak. With the presence of the people, the Islamic Republic gains strength; they do not want this power to exist; therefore, in all our elections over the years, before the elections, enemy propaganda against the elections has begun; that is, before our officials and our media and our press start working for the elections, the enemy has planned and started; this time is no different.

We are aware that this time, the official and recognized media of the enemy - which has worked against the Islamic Republic whenever they could - have been planning, programming, and creating programs for some time to cool the people's hearts toward the elections; they have already started, but their planning is much broader than this; they want the people not to come to the ballot boxes; they want the people not to participate in the management of the country; they want the people not to be present in the arena; thus, they strive. If the people's presence is absent, they can easily multiply their attacks. It is the presence of the people that gives immunity to the Islamic system and our dear country. The presence of the people strengthens the factors of power and strength within us: our knowledge progresses, our insight progresses, our management mechanisms progress - just as they have progressed over these years - this is due to the presence of the people, due to the motivations of the people; they want these motivations to be absent, hence they try to make the elections lackluster.

Let me say; what one finds from God's grace, from the efforts of these dear people, God willing, with God's grace, this upcoming election will be one of our best and most enthusiastic elections. Of course, the enemy tries to nullify the efforts of the people - just as they did in 2009 - this was also one of the enemy's actions; they compelled some to make demands contrary to the law and based on those demands, tried to position the people against the system; however, with God's grace, they were not successful.

The fundamental way to prevent electoral problems is adherence to the law; I want to emphasize this. All people, wherever they are in the country; in cities, in villages, in the center, in metropolises, and everywhere, must seek that whatever anyone says, it should be based on the law; whatever anyone demands, it should be based on the law. Those who caused that damage to the country and the nation that year and created costs for the country, if they had submitted to the law, it would not have happened this way. The law has determined that if someone has a complaint, they should come forward. That year it was said; we even requested from the esteemed Guardian Council to extend the time so that the votes could be recounted; we said any reasonable number and any ballot box that they wanted to be recounted, should be recounted; well, they did not comply! Their actions were not logical, not reasonable; they caused costs for the country. Well, the country overcomes these issues. The Islamic Republic is strong. These acts of sabotage and poking fingers in the eye and these disturbances and harassments do not bring down the Islamic Republic. Over these years, the Islamic Republic has faced various policies and politicians; however, despite all the oppositions, all the angles - which may have existed - the Islamic Republic has progressed; it will continue to do so. The Islamic Republic does not fall due to these words, but costs are incurred for the country. The way to avoid incurring costs is adherence to the law. This is my advice to you esteemed election officials as well: make the law the criterion. In the noble verse of the Quran that was recited, reference was made to the fulfillment of trusts - "Indeed, God commands you to render trusts to whom they are due" - fulfilling the trust is precisely that actions should be taken according to the law; both in the stage of determining qualifications - whether regarding the presidency, councils, and other upcoming matters - and in the stage of reading the votes, and in the stage of preserving the votes and ballot boxes. The law must be observed, and utmost fidelity must be exercised; thanks be to God, it has been so far.

It is evident that in every election, some individuals do not reach their desired outcome - I do not want to call them the losers of the election; we should not use the terms winner and loser and these Western materialistic expressions; if we enter for God and to fulfill our duty, there is no win or lose - well, these individuals have complaints. When one goes to a judge, it is the same. There is a judgment in a court; the side that has reached its goal in this judgment is happy, the other side is unhappy; the other side should not accuse the court of acting contrary to the truth; no, it is a court and acts according to the law; however, they become unhappy, they become dissatisfied. We must all endure whatever comes - which is based on the law - we must all learn this; this is revolutionary patience, this is revolutionary endurance. We hope that God Almighty will guide the hearts to what is better for the country.

High executive management in the country is a great task, an important task. A single word has an effect; a small or large action by the first-rate executives of the country - the President, the ministers - has an impact; the executive apparatus is like this. Their service has profound effects on the country; God forbid, their shortcomings and failures have many negative effects. This causes you and me, who want to make a choice, to be careful.

We must evaluate commitment, piety, readiness, and capabilities; we must act according to our discernment. If you and I, who want to vote, enter the arena with sincere and pure intentions and to fulfill our duty and for the future of the country, God Almighty will guide our hearts in this case. God Almighty will guide the hearts, God willing, provided that all people genuinely seek to fulfill their duty. It has been said many times that elections are both the right of the people and the duty of the people; we must both reclaim the right and fulfill the duty well. This election has such a state.

Those who want to consider the qualifications and make decisions based on them must see everything in conjunction. The President must be capable, must be popular, must be resilient, must be value-oriented, must be prudent, must adhere to laws and regulations - he is the executor of the law - must feel the pain of the people, and must see the various classes of the people; these are characteristics that play a role in choosing the person to whom we want to hand over the executive key of the country. We, the people, are the decision-makers in this regard. No one should say that my vote as an individual has no effect. Millions are formed from these individual votes. Everyone should feel a sense of duty and, God willing, will enter the arena. With the grace of the Lord, it will be so. Certainly, the security of the country, the immunity of the country, and the progress of the country will increase with the maximum and collective presence of the people, and this country will, with God's grace, be able to take another step toward the lofty goals of the Islamic Revolution.

We beseech the Almighty God that, God willing, He guides the hearts of all of us, both the executors, the officials, the observers, and all the people, to do what is pleasing to Him and beneficial for this country.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.