Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here Wednesday that the seventh Majlis elections will be held on February 20 without a day of delay.
Speaking to thousands of people from all walks of life, the Leader said the elections indicate the freedom and will of people in determining the fate of their country.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that people's participation in elections indicates that they possess a government, a Majlis and governmental officials.
"This crucial issue protects the country like a firm parapet against conspiracies and strikes fear into the hearts of the enemies of Iran and Islam," he said.
The Leader described the popularity of the system as a major cause of the enemies' frustration in the past 25 years since the inception of the Islamic Revolution.
He went on to say the revolution and Islamic system in Iran would never have survived the conspiracies of domineering powers if it wasn't for the presence of elections and democracy in Iran and people's massive participation in various scenes.
"This is why various centers of aggression fear people's participation in the February 11 demonstrations and the upcoming elections and are trying to halt both events with all their might," he said.
Referring to the massive propaganda machine employed by foreign media against the seventh Majlis elections in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said enemies are resorting to different strategies in a bid to damage and postpone the elections.
The Leader said hegemonic powers follow this general policy through ploys meant to postpone the elections. He added they try to make officials believe that the elections cannot and should not be held in the appointed time by way of various direct and indirect propaganda and other methods.
"But the government and nation will thwart this conspiracy," he said.
Voicing regret over the remarks of certain people who "repeated the comments of the enemies of people", Ayatollah Khamenei added enemies are trying to encourage certain executive officials to reject their legal authorities.
The Leader said that conflict between the executive and supervisory boards of the election is not something new and that there is a solution to every conflict.
"During its blessed life, the Islamic Revolution has succeeded in breaking the deadlocks. Today, thank Allah, there is no deadlock in front of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation," he said.
"No one is authorized to shirk duties just because they do not agree with a certain method or an incident. Shirking one's responsibilities in the form of resignation is haram (religiously forbidden)," he said.
The Leader stated the majority of the MPs are loyal to the Islamic Revolution and wish to serve people, adding that the Majlis is the cornerstone of the Islamic Republic.
Certain people have infiltrated into the Majlis and are distorting the realities, he said.
"In the Islamic Republic, we are servants of people and take our pride in serving them. People are not indebted to the officials. Rather, it is the officials who owe gratitude to the people. This spirit has been the key to the survival of the Islamic Republic over the past 25 years in the face of conspiracies of the enemies," he said.
The Leader said that the Majlis shoulders heavy responsibilities which are religious, ethical and national.
"After the end of the imposed war, a lot has been done in the country and bright horizons are gradually emerging. But, the enemy is hatching plots to stop the progress," he said.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Leader offered felicitations to the Iranian nation on the occasion of the Ten-Day Dawn and Ghadir Khom feast (February 10).
Referring to the decades of foreign domination over Iran -- the British and U.S. looting of Iran -- the Leader said the Islamic Revolution brought awareness to Iranians and they uprooted dictatorship under the leadership of the late Imam, ousted the U.S., and took charge of their destiny in 1979.
On the worldwide Islamic reawakening, the Leader said that the young generation in Muslim countries celebrates the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution every year because they believe it to be a model for their own national awakening.