His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei- in an impressive gathering of the people of Yazd and with sincere gratitude for the heartfelt emotions shown to him- declared that national self-confidence is the main contributing factor to the divine opportunities that exist for the people of Iran.With reference to the upcoming elections for the eighth Islamic Consultative Assembly, he declared as vital the massive participation of all people in these elections, efforts for the introduction and election of the candidates, the correct functioning of the elections and avoidance of negative campaigning.
He declared the elections to be the most important issue for the Iranian people this year and an opportunity to show national strength, steadfastness and maturity.These elections are a sign of the intelligence and foresight of the Iranian people and referring to the plots of the enemies for the destruction of elections in the Islamic government he said, "in the vastness of God Almighty's administration, these efforts by the enemy have led nowhere, and the people with their presence in the various elections have made the blossoms of religious democracy bloom."
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei declared the participation of the people in the elections of utmost importance gave a reminder that, "another important matter is the effort and care people should take in informing themselves about the candidates."
His Eminence referred to the qualification of the candidates which is determined by the Guardian Council and said: "The challenge [of the elections] is for the people of the various cities of the country to pick among the candidates those who are the best in terms of faith, sincerity, trustworthiness, religiousness and readiness to enter the revolutionary battlefields, and those are most knowledgeable and aware of the peoples needs."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the best candidates elected by the people are the basis for an Assembly that can cater to the needs of the people and warned that in the campaign, one should not view flashy advertising and big promises that can not be fulfilled as authoritative and that the duty of the representative is to pass laws that fulfill the needs of the people and determine the path for the executive and legal branches of the government.
His Eminence warned the candidates to avoid any kind of negative, insulting and unworthy campaigning and said: "Destroying the reputation of and insulting people in the newspapers, media, internet and other places is in no way correct and necessary, and we request and insist that the candidates only limit their campaigning to introducing themselves and that they should in no way whatsoever imitate the campaign practices that take place in some other countries."
In other parts of his remarks, His Eminence pointed out that national self-confidence is an intellectual and spiritual medicine and with reference to its significance for the Iranian people in the revolution and other areas, he said, "The great people of Iran are on the path towards their noble goal, meaning the establishment of an Islamic society and continuing on this noble path is not possible without national self-confidence."
His Eminence identified social justice, the large-scale application of Islamic ethics, bravery, honor, power and gratitude for blessings as the main components of Islamic society and added: "That society has only meaning which seeks its livelihood and happiness from service to God and the believing people of Iran- from depths of their being- pursue such a noble goal."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referring to the moral, material, carnal, familial and economic failures of western liberal democracy explained that these failures show that scientific and material progress can not fulfill the wishes and noble goals of humanity and that they do not bring with them real tranquility and happiness.
He described the will and goal-setting nature of the Iranian people as the basis of a strong government and said: "No country in the region matches Iran in terms of relying on the will and wishes of the people- but unfortunately some for factional and political reasons and for the pleasure of the enemies- engage in negative propaganda and despite the existence of numerous free and competitive elections and the mass participation of the people in these, speak of the lack of democracy in Iran."
He described religious democracy as self-evident and new and referring to the various frameworks in which democracy is practiced in the world, he said, "The people of Iran because of their faith in the Lord have placed their democracy in the framework of beloved Islam and have introduced religious and Islamic democracy to the world, and it is because of this that the Muslim people view the people of Iran with greatness."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referring to the enemies' false propaganda about various matters in religious democracy such as women's issues, foreign policy, Iran's relations with world powers and other matters said, "The great people of Iran have not and will not be fooled by such false propaganda and with the nurturing of national self-confidence will move towards their own future."
His Eminence pointed to the scientific advances in the fields of nuclear energy, stem-cell research and finding cures for certain incurable diseases as examples blessed signs of self-confidence and added, "The Iranian people with manifest abilities and self-confidence are advancing towards development and will continue to do so."
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei referring to the criticisms leveled at the President's provincial trips, described these trips as absolutely necessary and pointed out that, "Solving problems is not an easy task, but those who shoulder the responsibility are incessantly working to solve these problems and this effort is a valuable effort."
His Eminence described the trust between the people and the government as a deep trust and added that the enemy tries through various means and networks to make the people desperate but the people of Iran are vigilant and they understand the heartfelt efforts of this government, and it is for this reason that connection between the people and the government grows stronger and more heartfelt.
The Leader concluded his remarks by praising the faithful and capable people of Yazd province and the many outstanding scholars that this region has produced and thanking them for their efforts during the revolution, the imposed war and their efforts in support of the Islamic government.