Televised Speech on the Eve of the Elections

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure, innocent progeny, especially the Awaited One among the people.

O God, send blessings upon Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, Your chosen one, as numerous as what is in Your knowledge, with a lasting prayer as long as Your kingdom and sovereignty endure.

I congratulate the blessed decade of dignity and the birth of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon him) to our dear nation and to all those eager to visit that great figure, from whom we have unfortunately been deprived of this great blessing for a long time. We hope that God Almighty, through the blessings of the prayers and intercession of this great figure, will increase His mercy and kindness towards this nation day by day, and that the blessings of the proximity of the Iranian nation to this holy grave will, God willing, increase day by day.

The duty of the people regarding the elections: participation in the elections and the type of participation

My discussion today is solely about the elections. In less than 48 hours, a fateful event will occur in the country, namely the presidential elections and the elections for city and village councils. Certainly, the fate of the country at a certain point in time, in all areas - in the economy, cultural issues, security, health, etc. - depends on the action that you, the people of Iran, will undertake on Friday, God willing; that is, with your presence, with your vote, you will actually determine the fate of the country in all major matters.

The great task of the people on Friday will be, firstly, the principle of participation, and secondly, the type of participation and choice, and we hope that God Almighty will guide all our hearts, the hearts of the Iranian nation, so that we can appear in this arena in the best possible manner.

The fruits of people's presence in elections and the reason for the enemy's hostility towards it

In one of my recent speeches, I told the Iranian nation that the presence of the people in the Islamic Republic has a solid principle and a valid intellectual document; it is not merely a political issue; of course, the political benefits of people's presence are numerous, but beyond these and more importantly, the essence of the philosophy of people's presence in the Islamic Republic is that in the Islamic Republic, "Republic" is one part and "Islamic" is another part, which if the public does not participate, the Islamic Republic cannot be realized; of course, from political aspects and political effects, it has many fruits and blessings, some of which I will refer to later. Precisely for this reason, all centers of the devilish powers in the world, those who oppose and are hostile to the Islamic Republic, especially oppose and resist the elections. In all our elections over these decades, it has always been the case that their media tools, their political tools have been at the service of undermining the people's perception of the elections and, if they can, intervening in the elections to prevent the grandeur and glory of the Iranian elections from being displayed. Of course, to their dismay, all elections have been held on time; they have not been canceled, nor postponed by a day; the people have been present at the ballot boxes and have voted. Of course, their malicious propaganda has existed; from some time before the elections until after the elections, this propaganda has always continued. Perhaps in no part of the world can we find a country whose elections have been so attacked by enemies. And in this upcoming election - on Friday - for several months now, American media, British media, and those mercenaries working under their flags in these media have been working hard to try to undermine the elections, diminish the people's presence, and somehow accuse the elections of the Islamic Republic; they make all sorts of claims in this regard.

The enemy's goal of distancing the people from the system through opposition to elections in Iran

Well, their goal is that this election does not take place in the desired manner of the Islamic Republic; what does this mean? It means that the people distance themselves from the system; because the absence of the people in the elections naturally means distancing the people from the Islamic Republic; this is their goal. Of course, the people have not listened to their words; now we do not consider some specific groups that repeat their words in the media or on social media these days, but experience has shown and the text of the people has demonstrated that whatever the enemy wanted, they have done the opposite; both regarding elections and regarding marches and various other issues. This time, God willing, with divine grace, it will be the same; the people will, God willing, participate and give honor to the Islamic Republic.

I must say that the truth is that in the world of politics - the policies of the Islamic Republic, the policies of the country, and also events that have a political color and flavor - there are some truths that must be viewed above and beyond political tastes and disputes; for example, consider the funeral of our dear martyr, Martyr Soleimani; well, that was a great event; here, the issue of political taste and political flavor was not raised, everyone participated; elections are like this. In elections, political tastes are not discussed; everyone must participate, everyone must be present; because the social system of the country needs this presence and it has an impact, some of which I will mention.

Participation in elections as a manifestation of righteous action

I would like to mention a few points about the importance of people's presence; but before I mention these points, I would like to refer to a noble verse from Surah Al-Bara'ah - verse 120 - part of this verse and a piece of this verse, which I read: "And they do not tread on a place that angers the disbelievers, nor do they gain from an enemy except that it is written for them as a righteous deed;" the essence of these two phrases that I read from this verse is that every action and effort from you that displeases the enemy is a righteous deed in the presence of the Lord. You see that the enemies of religion, the enemies of Islam, the enemies of Iran are vehemently opposed to your elections; therefore, participating in the elections is a righteous act. All those who seek to perform righteous deeds - except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds - should know that participation in the elections is a righteous act on their part.

The impact of people's presence on increasing the power and authority of the system and the country

And now the points that I have in mind; I will mention a few points. The most important point is that elections demonstrate the presence of the people in the arena. What does "the presence of the people in the arena" mean? It means that the Islamic Republic has a popular backing. This has an unparalleled impact on the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the power of the country; that is, nothing, no tool of power is as power-enhancing for the country as the presence of the people. Yes, we consider military tools, political tools, and economic tools as power-enhancing and power-generating for the country, but none of them are as significant as the presence of the people; the presence of the people truly empowers the Islamic Republic. Well, those who make sophistical statements regarding the elections - you see some of these statements that unfortunately some people make in their remarks in newspapers and on social media - and speak with various sophistries about the elections to discourage the people from participating in the elections, are actually seeking to weaken the system, and foreign and external enemies who openly confront the elections are seeking to weaken the system; they know that if the presence of the people weakens and the country becomes weak, then they can create insecurity in the country, subject it to terrorism, and turn the country into a playground for terrorists; this is if the country becomes weak, and the backing of the people's presence in the country becomes diminished. Of course, they do not explicitly state this, but the meaning is clearly heard and seen in the corners of their statements that they are pursuing this; they want the people's presence to be absent so that the system weakens, so that they can disrupt the country, so that they can intervene, so that they can turn the country into a playground for their mercenaries; this is what one sees.

The inverse relationship between people's presence and enemy pressures

Another point is that if we have a decrease in people's presence, we will have an increase in enemy pressures; that is, these two have a truly inverse relationship. If we have a decrease in people's presence in the country, we will have a significant increase in enemy pressures. If we want the pressures of the enemies [such as] economic pressures like sanctions and the like to diminish or disappear, the way is for the presence of the people in the country to increase and the popular backing to be showcased to the enemies.

The empowerment of the elected president with high voter turnout

Another important point is that the president who will be elected on Friday, if elected with a high vote, will have strong support, will be a strong and powerful president, and will be able to accomplish great things. The country, thanks be to God, has high capabilities - I will mention a sentence about this at the end as well - the country has many capabilities, and there are numerous opportunities in our country; utilizing these opportunities requires strong, active, hardworking, tireless, and powerful individuals. This "power" is gained by the president - aside from personal aspects - more from the support of the people. If the people's presence has a desirable level and the president is elected with a high vote, God willing, this will enable him to gain power and make proper use of these capacities.

The integrity of elections over various periods

Another point is the issue of the integrity of elections; I have previously stated this, and I emphasize it now, fortunately, over these many years, our elections have always been sound elections. Those who protest, [yes,] there may be some disturbances in some areas, but overall, the elections have been sound and strong. A clear witness and valid evidence of this is that over these decades, in presidential elections, presidents have come to power with completely different tastes and political inclinations; well, this indicates that the elections have been conducted soundly; it has not been the case that the elections were subject to a specific political thought or a specific political taste; no, it has been conducted according to the law; sometimes a president with one political taste has come to power, and sometimes a president with a political taste completely different from his has come to power. Therefore, the elections have been sound elections.

The existence of competition and opposition among candidates in debates

And the claim that there is no competition, fortunately, there is competition; well, you saw the debates - now I have some remarks about the debates that if we are alive, I will mention after the elections - you noticed that in the debates, the esteemed candidates showed that they are moving in a completely competitive manner; that is, there were intellectual and verbal oppositions among the candidates, each of whom has their own supporters. This is also one of the undeniable facts of our elections.

Of course, the enemies have always questioned the votes of the people from the very beginning of the revolution until today, since the day the referendum for the Islamic Republic was held with 98 and a little higher vote [in favor of the people] until today, they question all elections. Well, one does not expect the enemy to admit that our elections are correct. Interestingly, there are some countries that in the middle of the twenty-first century are governed tribally; that is, they are managed and governed under the rule of a tribe, and they have not even caught a whiff of elections; the people of these countries do not even know what a ballot box is; they do not know the difference between a ballot box and a fruit box! [They do not know] what a ballot box is at all. These people also set up a 24-hour television to speak against our elections and say that the elections in Iran are not democratic! This is also one of the interesting issues of our days.

Justified grievances of the underprivileged classes of society and the wrong decision not to participate in elections

Another point that exists and I find noteworthy is that some of those who express doubt about participating in the elections, [that is] they are hesitant or discouraged, are the underprivileged classes of society; the underprivileged classes of society. I am aware of this; from surveys and polls, we know. There are some underprivileged classes of society who have legitimate expectations and grievances that these expectations have not been met; the issues of livelihood, housing, employment, which indeed the officials of the country should address and should have addressed; they are aggrieved, therefore their hands do not reach the elections; they say, well, for example, what benefit is there in participating? In my opinion, their grievance is justified, but their decision is not; yes, their grievance is a correct grievance, it should have been addressed, and the future government must place addressing these classes at the top of its agenda; but the discussion is that not going to the ballot box and being angry with the ballot box does not solve the problem; these problems, if they are to be solved, will be solved by the masses going to vote, all of us going to the ballot box and voting for someone we believe can solve these problems; this will solve the problem; otherwise, saying that we have grievances, so we will not vote, in my opinion, is not correct. This is also an important point. Therefore, I accept the grievances, but I do not accept not participating because of these grievances. The future government must certainly do its necessary work in this regard.

The necessity of participation and activity of the youth to encourage people to vote

Another point relates to the youth. Well, I have great faith in the youth and believe that the youth are at the forefront and driving force in all major issues of the country; they are both the leaders and the driving force of the matter, and they also motivate others to move forward; it should be the same in elections. My expectation from the youth - the dear youth of the country - is that they encourage the movement towards the ballot boxes and the participation of the people as much as they can and be active in this regard; especially first-time voters, as we have a large number of first-time voters. In every presidential election, a large segment consists of first-time voters. Their presence in the elections is actually like a political coming-of-age celebration; it is indeed a coming-of-age celebration that they enter into.

Avoiding the injection of despair into society despite the various capabilities of the nation

The last point I want to make and conclude my remarks is that I see some people with incorrect analyses trying to inject a spirit of despair and hopelessness into the people, to discourage the people. Now, there is no expectation from the enemy; unfortunately, some people inside also speak with pessimism, with weak analyses, truly weak analyses, making statements that actually aim to discourage the people; or they do not want [this to happen], but in practice, they discourage the people; I say this is wrong; despair and hopelessness have absolutely no place in our country. Our nation is a powerful nation, a determined nation, the strength of our country is strong. We are a powerful country. I have explained in the second step statement, and I have also explained in various speeches; we are a great nation, we are a powerful country, we have many capabilities, and these capabilities are not hidden from our enemies. Everyone knows.

Examples of the capabilities of the Iranian nation and youth

In various sectors, wherever our nation has made an effort, it has been able to accomplish great things; the essence of the revolution was like this, the establishment of the Islamic Republic was like this, the issues of the imposed war were like this; the latest issue, and the latest case, is the issue of the coronavirus vaccine. Well, our youth did not wait for the stingy hands of foreigners to sell us vaccines; you saw the officials said that they bought the vaccine from a certain global center, they paid for it, and they do not provide the vaccine; that is how the world is. Our youth did not wait for this. From the very first days, they began to strive and work; they worked through important means in the field of vaccines until they reached the vaccine. A couple of days ago, it was announced, and I was also informed in writing that the domestic vaccine has been produced, and we have become one of the five or six countries in the world that can produce the coronavirus vaccine and have good infrastructures. I was told that they can produce about fifty million, thirty million, something like that - now I do not remember exactly - vaccines per month and distribute them among the people. Now, one of the vaccines that has been produced, which was announced recently, has this number, and other vaccines are also being produced in various centers, and they will be delivered one after another, God willing. This demonstrates the capabilities of the nation.

Before this, it was the same; a few years ago, we needed twenty percent enriched uranium for our radioisotopes; we kept making promises and threats, and they did not give it to us [in the end]; well, in a short period, within a few months, our youth made the effort and produced the twenty percent without needing them. Now they are shouting and screaming about why you produced twenty percent. Now they are also producing sixty percent for various other uses. Of course, all our nuclear uses are peaceful.

In the field of defense tools, it is the same; we needed defense tools and they did not sell them to us, which I have said many times; our youth began, today we have the best, more effective than what we wanted to procure from them in the country. This nation, with these capabilities, with this effort, with this strong foundation cannot be discouraged; and they are trying in vain; and in my opinion, those who make baseless analyses that result in despair are doing something wrong; this nation, thanks be to God, has good capabilities.

Recommendations to the organizers of the elections: 1) Take necessary measures to ensure the health of voters

Well, my remarks regarding the elections are almost over, and I just want to recommend to the organizers of the elections, of course, while thanking them, that firstly, they must take necessary measures to ensure the health of the people when they are present at the ballot boxes; because the people want to participate, [therefore] it must be such that this participation of the people and this presence of the people at the ballot box does not harm the health of society at all, which requires arrangements. Of course, the officials have announced that they are working on this issue; I also emphasize that they must certainly strive.

2) Solve the issue of the shortage of ballot papers in all parts of the country

Secondly, the problem of the shortage of ballot papers is one of the problems we have repeatedly faced in elections, and we have constantly received complaints that sometimes from a certain point they say that there are no ballots, or for example, the elections start at 8 or 7, and the ballots have not yet arrived; they should resolve this problem; they should not allow any place to be without ballot papers, or to arrive late, or to be short; this is the second matter that should be thought of in advance.

3) Resolve voting issues abroad

Thirdly, I have been informed in reports regarding abroad that in some countries - perhaps a large number of countries - the necessary preparations have not been made properly; they say this. I seriously demand from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up on this issue and since there is no time left, they should not allow Iranians in these countries who are interested in participating in the voting to be left waiting; this is the next point.

4) Address violations

And fourthly, they should deal with any violations. These are my remarks.

We ask God Almighty to guide our hearts. O Lord! Hearts are in Your control and in Your hands; guide all these hearts to what is in the interest of this country and this nation.

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