Imam Khamenei mentioned that the Islamic Republic is a system about which many predictions have been made regarding its downfall – actually, more than any other political system in the world. Furthermore, he stressed, “Since the first day of the Revolution, ill-wishers and those individuals who could not understand and tolerate this system have said inside and outside the country that the Islamic Republic would not survive more than two months, six months, or one year. That commotion has subsided due to the decisiveness and power of Imam Khomeini and the victory of the Iranian nation in the Sacred Defense, but it arose again after his demise. The last time they said such things was one or two years ago when a high-ranking American official said that the Islamic Republic would not see its 40th anniversary. I do not remember there being so many predictions about the downfall and ruin of any other political system.”
He also added, “However, not only was the Revolution and the system established by Imam Khomeini not toppled, it has also become more powerful day by day. It has refused to surrender or to back off, and it has been successful in showing how independent it is with each passing day.”
He stated that the two factors of the Revolution being a “Republic” and being “Islamic” are two main elements bringing about the survival of the Islamic Revolution. Imam Khamenei pointed out that Imam Khomeini’s great feat was his formulating the theory of the Islamic Republic in the face of various political theories that had been developed by the East and the West.
Citing evidence from the history of Islam, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized that the Islamic Republic is not an idea that has been borrowed from western philosophy. Rather, it is a new theory based on deep religious understanding originating from Imam Khomeini (may God’s mercy be upon him) and his novel ideas in religion.
The Supreme Leader, who was the President of Iran during the time of Imam Khomeini, added, “The kind of Islam that Imam believed in is against the Powers of Arrogance. Such an Islam is against the interference of foreigners in the domestic affairs of the country. It is opposed to kneeling down before the enemy. The kind of Islam that Imam believed in is against corruption and granting unfair privileges. The things that are revealed at times regarding corruption in certain sectors are definitely anti-Islamic. An Islamic government is a government that combats corruption. Islam is an advocate of the underprivileged and is opposed to class inequalities.”
In describing participation in the elections and making a well-informed choice as being the way to solve economic problems, Imam Khamenei added, “Everyone should consider himself to be responsible for encouraging others to participate and he/she must participate as well.” He stated that participation in the elections is a manifestation of the holy verse, “Most surely man is in loss, except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth and enjoin on each other patience.” [Holy Qur’an, 103:2-3]
Stressing the necessity of being careful to make the right choice and of paying attention to the past performance of candidates, he added, “One cannot merely rely on words and promises. Concerning the issue of nuclear negotiations too, which are ongoing, I have always told officials that actions speak louder than words and one cannot rely on mere promises.”
Asking presidential candidates to avoid making promises that they cannot fulfil, Imam Khamenei also had another important demand from them, “Every candidate should be committed to social justice and to reducing the gap between the poor and the rich.”
In saying that the way to save the economy of the country is to strengthen domestic production, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution explained, “Presidential candidates should be committed to combating corruption, strengthening domestic production and fighting smuggling and unnecessary imports. They must state this commitment today so that if they do not do this after winning, the supervisory bodies may take them to account.”
At the end of his statements, Imam Khamenei touched on the issue of some of the candidates’ eligibility not being confirmed. He said, “In the vetting process, some of those whose eligibility was not confirmed were treated unfairly. Certain things were ascribed either to themselves or their families, things which were not true. There are honorable, esteemed families who were faced with such false accusations. There were certain reports that were later proved to be false. However, they were published in the internet. When I say that the internet has been abandoned to itself, this is what I mean. Protecting individuals’ reputations is one of the most important duties. I call on these organizations to make up for this. Certain things were ascribed to some individuals’ family members and their children, but these were later proved to be false. They should compensate for this and restore those individuals’ honor.”
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