Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received government officials responsible for holding Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections on Wednesday where he addressed the meeting on the ‘features of a healthy and genuine competitive' elections. In the second part of his address, the Leader focused on JCPOA and the US.
Ayatollah Khamenei assessed both elections as very crucial and as a competitive national event; “in this competition, win and loss would not be any different, since in any situation, the ultimate winner will be Iranian nation; however, the first important prerequisite for a healthy election is a high and flamboyant turnout in ballot boxes, and with God’s blessings, we will have such promising turnout,” he asserted.
He criticized circles he dubbed ‘entrenched evil elements’ as disheartening and demoralizing the public from going to voting centers through faultfinding tactics; however Ayatollah Khamenei believed that the plebiscite would prove the process’ efficiency in this edition of elections as well to the consternation of the same circles; “the second requirement is the elected and electors which should be both qualified and showing positive attributes which are required of an official in the Islamic Republic and who would and should serve the public good, and who are without qualms in protecting national expediencies and interests,” the Leader emphasized.
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated his public call famously quoted by the media earlier this month about the participation of individuals who do not believe the Islamic system and his own in person on the grounds that these individuals would at least favor the national expediencies and would wish the system good despite their disbelief of the system; “this call however would not translate into this interpretation that those not beleiving in the system should be elected as representatives to Parliament; in no other countries either would they accept these individuals with no commitment to system into decision-making centers and sensitive positions of the government. In the US which is purportedly the most ‘liberal’ of countries, and which is thought to be so by naïve and simple-minded mass, in the time of Cold War with the Eastern Block, they would discredit individuals with even flimsiest evidence that they entertain socialist sentiments,” argued the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
“A commitment to elect individuals and candidates who respect the Islamic system and its expediencies and values is a public right and is effective on the health of the elections; a healthy election should be a process whereby all involved responsible bodies should respect the law, avoid defamatory remarks against legal institutions, disturbing public opinion, and where candidates should avoid to defile the public image of other fellow candidates,” Ayatollah Khamenei detailed, going on to add ‘making implausible promises to the public’ and ‘honesty with the public’ as other features of a healthy election.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution criticized what he called ‘implicating the Revolutionary and pious young cohort during any politically unjustified events’ such as storming Saudi Arabian embassy ‘immediately,’ adding that the implication provided precedents of a trend which was not proper.
Still in a different by important issue, the Leader turned to JCPOA implementation he had been frequently talking about during past few months, extending his gratitude to Mr. President, Foreign Minister, and other members of the nuclear negotiators. However, he denounced circles who ascribed the nuclear achievements to a good will of the US; “this is a petty and misguided attempt to redeem the image of the US; all officials should be alert to the hidden motives of the US; the imperialist power would advance its interests thorough coercion and propaganda,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.
He believed that the core policies and objectives of the ruling class of the US had not made considerable difference with the successive generations of Democrat and Republican presidents in the White House; “we should watch closely the process of the implementation to remain ensured that the US actually acts according to its obligations,” he added, closing its address turning to recent detention of US sailors by the IRGC Navy; “the movement was laudable in that it clearly demonstrated Iran’s power and identity vis-à-vis the enemy; it is a good example for authorities to act accordingly wherever the enemy finds chances to infiltrate certain national interest lines.”
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