Leader’s Address to Presidential Candidates’ Representatives

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

First of all, I should apologize for my hoarse voice. It is two or three days now that I have been suffering from this hoarse voice due to a cold or some other reason.

The essential point that I would like to raise with all the friends who are present in this meeting - both the representatives of the honorable candidates' campaign offices and the representatives of the organizations in charge [of holding the presidential election] - is that the elections in our country, unlike some other countries, have constantly been the manifestation of national unity and grandeur. That is because everybody who goes to a ballot box and casts his or her ballot into the ballot box is, in fact, voting for the Islamic Republic and Islamic government. Therefore, as you have observed, government officials and I have constantly insisted on an increasing turnout in the elections. We have encouraged the people to vote. And the public have vigilantly engaged in the elections on momentous occasions. The people went to the ballot boxes and cast their votes when the country needed to strongly voice its position against the enemies and the ill-wishers. In a number of my congratulatory messages regarding our elections, I have repeatedly used the phrase "the intelligent people who are aware of the requirements of the time". I used the same phrase this time as well. I had previously used it on a number of other occasions. The reason is that the presence of the people at the polling stations is always a sign of their vigilance and presence on the scene, and it has always been considered as a sign of their vote for the Islamic Republic. Therefore, from this point of view, our elections have always been a manifestation of national unity and grandeur.

We must take care not to let elections become a source of discord. That is the main point that I want to raise. I think it is a huge mistake to imagine that there are two opposing groups, with 24 million people on the one side and 14 million people on the other side. That is not the case. All people are on the same side. Those who voted for the president-elect in the recent election are as committed to the Revolution and the Islamic Republic as the people who did not vote for him. All groups of the people are the children of this country and this nation. It is a mistake to think of the people who voted for a particular candidate and those who did not vote for him as two opposing and hostile sides. That is not the case. They just did not have the same tendency towards a particular issue or option. However, they have the same opinion regarding their belief in the government and their support for the Islamic Republic. We must look at the 40-million turnout rate in this election. That is the important point.

Of course I personally trust the officials of the country. Like the past elections, I trust the government officials, the Ministry of Interior, and the Guardian Council. All of you are, or used to be, government officials, and you know me. As you know, in many cases, government officials had different tendencies, but I trust the officials when I know them well and when I know the principles that guide their work. The situation is the same now. I trust the officials in charge of the recent election. However, this trust would not prevent the investigation of possible concerns. This trust would not suppress the truth. On the contrary, you must remove the doubts. What is most important of all is that you should try to preserve national unity. Each person has a responsibility to fulfill.

Elections are a source of honor for us. 40 million votes are no joke. This number is significantly greater than our record turnout. That is very important. After the passage of 30 years, our nation's commitment to the Islamic Republic is so strong that they enter the arena so enthusiastically. Our people's commitment to the Islamic Republic is so strong that foreign news agencies unanimously announced during the early hours of the election that the turnout rate would be extraordinary. They all said that unanimously. I was following the news. Apart from the personal observations that were reported to me by the people who had cast their votes, different news agencies and a number of foreign TV channels announced that the turnout was very high and that the voters were active and serious.

Some foreign TV channels showed a large number of people standing in a line. That is an honor for the country. We must not undermine or ruin this honor. It belongs to the people. The voters supporting the winning or losing sides - both the people who voted for the president-elect and those who voted for the other candidates - all played a role in creating this great epic. We must not disregard this unity, this comprehensive outlook, and this common view. We must not strip the nation of this. All people played a role. All of those who voted for Mr. Ahmadinejad, Mr. Mousavi, Mr. Karroubi, and Mr. Rezai played a role in creating this great epic, and the country is indebted to them. The Islamic Republic is truly indebted to the epic presence of the people in the election, the people who came and protected the Islamic Republic and the Revolution which both belong to the people themselves. That is the view we must adopt.

Of course I would admit both the winning and losing sides have to be considerate. The winning side that managed to win the majority of the votes has to take certain things into consideration and watch its moves and behavior. Similarly, the side that did not win the majority of the votes has to be careful. Everybody must exercise patience. Islamic patience means the ability and capacity to bear something. Everybody must have this capacity. It is not easy to develop the capacity to contain the joy of victory, and neither is it easy to develop the capacity to bear defeat. Patience and the capacity to bear defeat and contain the joy of victory are human virtues. We must promote this idea both among our elites and among the general public.

Of course you, like me, have no doubt that there are some people who do not want this unity. Some incidents happened here and there which were not related to a particular group. Rather, these incidents were related to the individuals who are opposed to this unity and this show of grandeur. God willing, if I find the opportunity, I will talk more in this regard on Friday. There are some people who do not want to see these achievements of yours. You all achieved success and victory in the recent election because you managed to strengthen your favorite government.All people are victorious. That is because they managed to manifest grandeur and dignity. There are some individuals who are dissatisfied with this state of affairs. Naturally, they tend to engage in vandalism and create problems. They act as a go-between among different people and often tell lies. As I receive reports from different places, I can see that some of the criticisms leveled at, or by, the incumbent administration go against the truth. It goes without saying that there are some people who do not want this unity to be promoted in the country. Of course these were the least malevolent of their actions. The vandalism you observed was worse.Of course everybody must stand against these acts of vandalism and clarify their position in this regard. Everybody must state their position.

The people who gather in the streets to support one candidate or another are all part of the Iranian nation. That is the view we must adopt. All people have the right to vote. Some people decide to vote for a particular candidate and some others vote for a different candidate. Of course the rules of democracy stipulate that the majority should be preferred to the minority. That is to say, the person who receives the majority of the votes takes charge. That is what the rules of democracy stipulate. However, this does not mean confrontation and enmity. You must all stand against the efforts to create enmity. That is not peculiar to a particular candidate, campaign office, or group. It is the duty of all people to oppose the efforts to create enmity and spite. Of course as you said, there may be some complaints regarding the electoral procedures. Naturally, there are legal ways to settle such problems. These complaints must definitely be investigated. You mentioned some of your complaints. I ask the officials at the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council to thoroughly investigate these complaints. It is alright if some of the complaints necessitate recounting a number of the ballot boxes. The gentlemen pointed out that a particular person had announced a candidate had won a certain number of votes, but that after counting the votes a different number was announced. That is no problem. The problematic ballot boxes can be recounted. Or a random  recount could be conducted in the presence of the representatives of the campaign offices to remove all doubts about the results.

The acts of vandalism that are being carried out, the unacceptable things that are being done, and the crimes that are being committed on some occasions are not related to the winning or losing sides. They are not related to the people. They are not related to the candidates. They are related to the vandals, to the rioters. It is a big mistake to imagine that these acts are related to the supports of a particular candidate. That is not the case. These people are like the people who create conflicts between Shia and Sunni. And I have constantly said that they are neither Sunni nor Shia. They provoke Shia against Sunni and Sunni against Shia. And regarding the unity of our great society, the situation is the same. Those who pitch the winning and losing sides of the election against each other support none of these sides. They do certain things to make it appear they support a particular candidate while they actually support no one. These people are opposed to the Islamic Republic and national peace. They support vandalism and want to destroy peace. 

If the result of the election had been different and if someone else had been elected, I would say with certainty that such events would still have been planned in order to destroy national peace. They have targeted national peace and security. These are what they want to destroy. Nobody must help increase this vandalism, and everybody must explicitly express their position. Certainly, your real position is not in line with this vandalism. Everybody must clarify their position. Everybody must clearly state that this is not what they want. Everybody must avoid doing anything that may cause turbulence. That is to say, we must not enrage each other. Now I would like to take this opportunity to address the people who are not among you dear brothers. I would like to address them as well - if my speech is broadcast to them later. I would advise the supporters of the winning and losing sides not to enrage each other. The people whose candidate has won must not make the supporters of the losing candidates angry and hurt their feelings by acting or talking in a particular way. Similarly, the people whose candidate has not won enough number of votes must not talk or act in a way to enrage the supporters of the other side. You are all moving in the same direction: Presence in the election and protection of the Islamic Republic. That is the essence of the issue. That is what will please the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). That is what will hopefully result in divine grace for this country. I think that is the right thing to do.

I hope Allah the Exalted will help us. I feel it was my duty to tell you these things. As I said, I personally know almost all of you, and I know your record. It occurred to me that it was good to talk to you like this and that it was necessary to meet you. It was my duty to tell you these things. I feel today we all have a responsibility to defend the collective identity of this country and this nation. A very large group of people [the Iranian nation] have taken on this heavy responsibility and continued this great and brave movement throughout the last 30 years. You must not allow this group to lose its unity. You must not let the members of this group turn against one another. Each and every one of you will do this in a particular way. May God help you. May God guide us all so that we can fulfill this responsibility in the best possible way.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings