The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei confirmed the Iranian people's votes cast in the 9th presidential election and endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the sixth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday, August 3.
In his decree on the endorsement of President Ahmadinejad, which was read at the inauguration ceremony by the outgoing president Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the massive presence of the people at the polls and the nearly 60-million voter turnout in the two stages of the election was the great jihad and struggle of the nation against the interfering arrogant powers.
The Leader also noted in his decree that the massive public participation in the 9th presidential election was the Iranian nation's slap in the face of those enemies who are opposed to the Islamic democracy, and that the high voter turnout manifested the Iranian people's determination, liveliness and dynamism and indicated their clinging to the divine rope.
Following the inauguration ceremony, in an address to the audience, Ayatollah Khamenei described the event as an auspicious and blessed occasion endowed with divine favor. Expressing his appreciation for the Iranian people's awareness, their proper understanding of the country's exigencies and their massive participation in the 9th presidential election, he stated that the great blessing of public participation was a gift bestowed on the nation by the Islamic Revolution and a sign of real democracy relying on religious faith.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic further referred to the attempts made by the enemies to dissuade the Iranian people from taking part in the 9th presidential election with the intention of undermining public participation in Iran.
"Through their laudable presence at the polls, the faithful, brave, intelligent and free Iranian people foiled the enemies' plots and machinations, including the U.S. president's outrageous and foolish move that was aimed at discouraging the Iranian people from going to the polls on the Election Day," the Leader observed.
Hinting at the remarks made by a U.S. official that indicated U.S. opposition to the real democracy in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that this opposition stemmed from the wicked and arrogant nature of the 'Great Satan'.
"The Iranian people also do not approve of the American democracy, which relies on the wealth of Zionist capitalists. As the Iranian people showed in the 9th presidential election, their participation in elections is motivated by a sense of national and religious responsibility. This is the real meaning of democracy, and the elected president will be indebted to nobody except Almighty Allah and the people," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
Elsewhere in his statements, the Leader described justice as the most basic Islamic principle and the major objective pursued by the revolution and the Islamic system.
"The most important duty of a government that seeks to administer social justice is to pay special attention to the deprived strata. Some define justice as extremism. It is not so. Respecting and advocating the people's rights, countering those who enjoy undeserved privileges, preventing oppression and restoring the rights of the oppressed are what justice means," the Leader noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei called on President Ahmadinejad to make use of the most efficient modern and scientific methods to dispense justice in society and accomplish the ideals of the Islamic Revolution. He also advised the elected president to avoid rashness in his measures.
"The honorable Iranian people should also avoid rashness in presenting their demands and expectations and allow the new government, which is determined to serve the public in the best possible manner, to pursue important goals such as the administration of social justice, the promotion of public welfare and the accomplishment of full-scale development based on appropriate planning and within the framework of the 20-year perspective document, which enshrines the country's macro policies for the next two decades," he told the gathering.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic further stated, "The accomplishment of certain goals will require years of incessant efforts. Knowing this, the Iranian people should expect government officials to make vigorous and unceasing efforts to achieve the above objectives."
Touching on Iran's foreign policy, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the Iranian nation has always been and will continue to be a peaceful nation in the world.
"As in the past, the Iranian nation bears no animosity toward any other country and nation. But world powers, especially the 'Great Satan', should bear in mind that the Iranian people are determined to strongly defend their rights and would not pay blackmail to any power," Ayatollah Khamenei stated.
The Leader also reminded government officials of their duties to protect the various rights of the Iranian nation and asked them to make every effort to raise the regional and international status of the Islamic Republic. He stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as before, is in favor of cordial ties and friendly relations with its neighboring states and other friendly counties in the world.
Further in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei called on President Ahmadinejad to always try to preserve his trust in Almighty Allah and keep up his devotion and sincerity as well as his humbleness before the public.
"Power and authority is valuable only when it is used to demand and administer justice. If sincere efforts are made to accomplish this goal, Almighty Allah will bestow His mercy and blessings on those making such efforts," he remarked.
In conclusion, the Leader of the Islamic Republic expressed his gratitude to the former president and his colleagues for their services to the public over the past eight years.
"Thanks to the efforts made by Mr. Khatami's government and by the previous governments, the country has achieved considerable progress in various areas. Now, vigorous efforts to counter poverty, corruption, discrimination and injustice and sincere services to the public can help to solve the existing problems and accelerate the country's progress and development," the Leader pointed out.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also speaking at the ceremony, expressed his appreciation for massive public participation in both rounds of the 9th presidential election. He said the people's massive presence at the polls neutralized the negative propaganda of the enemies against the Islamic Republic.
Ahmadinejad pointed out that the four basic principles of administering justice, treating the servants of Allah with benevolence, rendering sincere services to the general public and achieving material and spiritual progress for the country will be high on the agenda of his government. He also emphasized that among the priorities of his government will be the elimination of poverty from the deprived regions and countering corruption and discrimination in the country's bureaucracy.
Turning to the international front, the new president of the Islamic Republic stated that justice will form the cornerstone of Iran's relations and cooperation with other countries, and that no discrimination will be acceptable in international relations.
President Ahmadinejad stressed that his government will try to safeguard the country's independence, national interests, the religion of Islam and Islamic culture, protect the rights of Iranian citizens both inside the country and abroad, prepare the ground for the personal development of all Iranian individuals, solve the problems facing youngsters and underprivileged strata, defend the Iranian nation's honor and dignity on the international scene, bring about stronger unity among Islamic states and make every effort to promote peace and justice and remove tension.
The new president further emphasized that in order to accomplish the above objectives he needs the support and cooperation of academics, scholars, intellectuals, Ulema, teachers and the people from all walks of life.
In conclusion, President Ahmadinejad expressed his gratitude to the Leader of the Islamic Republic for his precious guidelines. He also voiced his appreciation for the efforts made by the previous presidents and governments, especially by the former president Khatami and his colleagues in the government.
At the ceremony, Interior Minister Mousavi-Lari presented a report on the 9th presidential election, in which he said that 29,485,700 voters took part in the first round of the election, and that 27,959,253 voters participated in the runoff election. The interior minister pointed out that President Ahmadinejad polled over 17 million votes in the runoff election.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (the Majlis), the chief of the Judiciary, the chairman of the Expediency Council, the outgoing Cabinet members, the people's representatives in the Majlis, members of the Guardian Council, Judiciary officials, high-ranking military commanders, a number of political, social and cultural personalities and intellectuals, a group of the honorable families of the martyrs of the Sacred Defense and the foreign ambassadors posted in Tehran.