Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this evening with President Ahmadinejad and his cabinet members. Speaking at the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the formation of the new cabinet and the start of a new term for the administration and added: "The 85-percent turnout in the memorable June 12 presidential election shows the determination, free will, and sense of responsibility of the people when electing the officials of the country. We should all be thankful for this great blessing that Allah has bestowed on the Islamic Republic and the Revolution."
His Eminence referred to the need for understanding the messages of the impressive turnout rate in the June 12 vote and the election of a president with a record number of votes, further reiterating: "If government officials and political elites understand these messages, many of the problems will be solved."
He described the 85-percent turnout in the presidential election as a hard blow to the enemies of the Revolution and added: "The nation and the Islamic Revolution proved their republican nature."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that consolidation of the Islamic nature of the Islamic Republic was another message of the June 12 presidential election. "The statements of the presidential candidates regarding their commitment to Islam, the Revolution, and Imam Khomeini's path show the general tendency of the nation, so the esteemed candidates tried to show that they were committed to the Imam and the Revolution."
Ayatollah Khamenei further added: "The tenth presidential election turned a new page in the life of the Revolution and the establishment. Of course some people's response to this great populist movement was not noble and moral, but what will go down in history is the great movement of the people and continuation of the Islamic Revolution."
His Eminence called on government officials, especially the president, to be thankful for this divine blessing and avoid being conceited. "One should rely on the vote of the people and consider it as an honor, but all types of conceit must be avoided because conceit is one of the greatest traps of Satan which leads to different types of deviation and degeneration."
Ayatollah Khamenei also advised the tenth administration to prepare itself for different kinds of malevolence and conspiracy, further adding: "Many efforts will be made against this administration and the establishment, but the administration and the nation will have more capabilities, hopes, and opportunities than all these conspiracies and problems."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that it is necessary for the new administration to continue the basic policies of the 9th administration such as simple lifestyle, paying attention to underprivileged areas, and making endless efforts to solve the problems of the people.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the unfair distribution of wealth in the country as an outstanding instance of injustice and reiterated: "Regarding the subsidies offered by the government, underprivileged social classes benefit less. Redistribution of subsidies, which was also recommended to previous administrations, can solve this problem."
The Leader stressed the need for rationality and spirituality in administering justice and added: "Some groups who had an extremist attitude to justice in the past have now taken a U-turn because their attitude towards the administration of justice was not accompanied by thought and rationality."
Ayatollah Khamenei also called on administration officials to pay more attention to the Twenty-Year Strategic Plan. He said that the Twenty-Year Strategic Plan is the second most important document of the country after the Constitution, and added that all the policies of the administration should be evaluated against it.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that what has been done in this regard is not sufficient and stated: "The administration should not wait for fundamental changes in the infrastructures and the ratification of the economic overhaul bill. The administration should not think that it has reached a dead-end. Rather, it should make every effort to fulfill the policies outlined in Article 44 of the Constitution."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that solving the country's economic problems as well as the problems of inflation and unemployment are of paramount importance and said that the administration should plan to reduce the pressure of inflation on the people.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further touched upon the issue of the administration's economic plans and said that the administration officials should benefit from expert advice in developing these plans and avoid rash decisions in this regard.
His Eminence added: "The administration should make use of expert advice, especially in economic and financial matters, because inattention to the views of experts in economic issues may result in great losses."
Paying attention to cultural issues and developing appropriate cultural policies were among the other recommendations offered by the Leader during the meeting.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that baseless and extremist tendencies should be avoided when dealing with cultural matters.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further advised the administration to adhere to the law and stated: "If the law is not observed in a particular matter, the issue is not only the violation of the law in that single case. Rather, that will open the way for breaking the law in the future as well."
Ayatollah Khamenei further recommended the administration officials to be open to criticism and deal with criticisms which are leveled against their performance in a tolerant manner.
His Eminence said that some of the criticisms which are expressed inside the country are backed by foreign media and are aimed at defaming the administration. "But there are benign and constructive criticisms which are voiced by the critics of the administration. The administration should pay attention to these criticisms," he noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the forbearance of the 9th administration in dealing with insults and spiteful criticisms will be rewarded by Allah and reiterated that the administration should be patient in this regard and not consider every small criticism as a hostile attack.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the president and his cabinet should make use of the advice and recommendations of ulama, religious scholars, and marja taqlids and added: "The ulama from different seminaries and different parts of the country are supporters of the Islamic Republic and are aware of the services which the administration renders to the people. Therefore, their advice is out of concern and kindness and should be treated as valuable by the administration officials."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that welcoming the criticisms of elites and academic intellectuals will provide stronger support for the administration and said: "Some of the elites may make constructive criticisms. The administration should welcome the criticism of these elites and make use of their dynamic minds."
Ayatollah Khamenei also recommended that administration officials develop an Iranian and Islamic model of progress and consult with experts to achieve this goal.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that administration of justice should be integrated into any plan for progress and added that the administration should try to prepare a strong foundation for future administrations through its actions during the next four years.
At the end of this meeting, President Ahmadinejad and his cabinet said their evening prayers led by the Leader and broke their fast along with Ayatollah Khamenei.