In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Greetings to the great Iranian nation;
Best regards to you, the valorous and vigilant Ummah.
The glorious and epical event that you created on June 17 once again displayed the firm and honorable countenance of a nation that is taking great and determined strides toward its noble objectives and is building its country with its strong and dexterous hands.
The enthusiastic and lively presence of our nation at the polls once again proved that the Islamic democracy has sent down its roots deep into our society, and this divine and immaculate tree has despised all the adverse winds with its firmness and stability.
Through your massive participation and high turnout in the 9th presidential election, you showed the world that you are a high-spirited, enthusiastic, vigilant and circumspect nation. You gave a brave response to the most urgent requirement of your country and once again thwarted the enemies in their plots and machinations through your magnificent and marvelous presence at the polls. You displayed the firm and unyielding nature of the Muslim Iranian nation before the eyes of your malevolent, ill-intentioned and evil-thinking enemies.
The unwise enemies, wrongly assuming that they could intimidate and mislead the Iranian nation, in a statement full of lies and deceitful remarks insulted our great nation and the Islamic Republic. The denigrated and disgraced U.S. president, who has been brought to office through the financial support of the plunderous Zionist companies in order to serve their illegitimate interests, in a foolish prejudgment one day before you Election Day described your presidential poll as unfair and dishonest.
This infamous criminal, who has committed heinous crimes at the AbuGhuraib and Guantanamo prisons, leveled baseless charges and accusations against the Islamic Republic, but covered up the criminal acts perpetrated by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and ignored U.S. support for dictatorial and coup regimes both in the past and at present.
Also, assuming that the Iranian people have forgotten the atrocities committed against them by the imperial Pahlavi regime, a coup regime which enjoyed U.S. support for some 25 years, he claimed that his administration supports democracy and is interested in the welfare and prosperity of the Iranian nation.
However, our venerable nation, our dedicated and enthusiastic youngsters and our faithful men and women caused the U.S. president's insults to rebound on him through their epical presence at the polls that was motivated by their vigilance and awareness. They also expressed their firm intention to protect their independence, their religion Islam and their Islamic democracy.
Your votes, which were cast in the ballot-box in a free atmosphere in which presidential candidates with different leanings and tendencies were competing, were in the first place an expression of support for the Islamic Republic, national independence, the constitution, progress, justice and Islamic ideals, the ideals which ensure national honor and dignity, worldly progress and welfare and the establishment of spiritual and moral values in society.
Any one of the respected presidential candidates who is elected president of the Islamic Republic by polling the majority of the people's votes will be committed to these ideals, and he will give top priority to administering social justice, eliminating corruption and discrimination from society and countering political, cultural and economic plots and machinations against our country.
I express my deep gratitude to Allah, the All-Wise and All-Knowing, for bestowing His guidance on our faithful nation. I also express my sincere appreciation to every honorable Iranian citizen for exercising his/her right and performing his/her duty. I offer the following recommendations to the venerable Iranian nation:
1 - The chief winner of the 9th presidential election is the Iranian nation. This is because despite all the venomous and negative propaganda disseminated by the enemies of our nation and by their domestic agents, the Iranian people created a glorious and epical event and surprised the pessimists and cynics.
The supporters of those presidential candidates who did not get an opportunity to serve the public as president of the Islamic Republic should not feel disappointed. Whoever has tried in conformity with his belief and conviction should feel proud and dignified. Besides, whoever has combined his efforts with an intention to gain divine approbation will also be rewarded by the Almighty.
2 - The Islamic Iran has once again displayed its authentic democratic paradigm, which is based on the people's votes and participation and not like U.S. democracy based on military aggression and imposition, to other nations in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. This pleasant event has left a bitter taste on the palates of our enemies. Everybody is expected to remain wary and vigilant and not allow any likely disturbances and mischievous acts by the enemies to detract from the pleasant taste that the election has left on the palate of the Iranian nation.
3 - Any candidate who is elected president is the president of the whole nation, and everybody is expected to cooperate with him in promoting the country's progress and development. As always, I will support the president in his legal administration of the country and in his efforts to accomplish the objectives of the Islamic system.
4 - I would like to advise the elected president, whoever he is, to get prepared as soon as the final results of the election are announced to render ceaseless and unremitting services to our dedicated nation, especially to our youngsters and above all to the deprived and underprivileged strata who are among the staunchest supporters of our Islamic system, and show his devotion to our dear country and nation in practice.
5 - Presently that the Iranian nation has opened a brilliant chapter in the history of our country in the early months of the year designated as 'the Year of National Solidarity and Public Participation', I would like to ask all Iranians, especially political figures and others who are in a position to guide public opinion as well as the media, to keep up their efforts to boost the spirit of solidarity and participation in society and to avoid any divisive or discouraging words or actions.
6 - I deem it necessary to express my heartfelt gratitude to the senior Ulema and clergymen, academic scholars and intellectuals, cultural, political and social personalities and those active on the scene of the presidential election, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which created a lasting impression by presenting lively and interesting programs, the Guardian Council and the Interior Ministry, which prepared the scene for this great contest through their sincere and selfless efforts, others who played some role in this public endeavor and, above all, the esteemed presidential candidates themselves who stepped on this demanding scene.
I once again express my deep gratefulness to Allah, the Almighty, and pray that His grace and guidance will be bestowed on our honorable nation and on this humble servant.
My greetings to His Holiness Imam of the Age, who is the chief patron of our country and nation, and I invoke and depend on his prayer and care and favor.
Now that our 9th presidential election has extended into a second round, and a runoff election is required, I call on the Iranian citizens to participate in the second round of the election with the same great enthusiasm and determination that they displayed in the first round.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
Khordad 28, 1384