President Ebrahim Raeisi made the comments in the opening ceremony of the 30th International Quran Exhibition which kicked off earlier on Saturday, which coincides with the Islamic Republic Day (April 1).
"It's the Islamic Republic Day and a very blessed day, and the day when people decided that religion should rule over their lives and be at the core of all religious communication and religious and Quranic teachings," Raeisi said.
The Iranian Islamic Republic Day marks a landmark two-day referendum held on March 30-31, 1979, in which more than 98.2 percent of eligible Iranians voted yes to the establishment of an Islamic Republic in the country.
"On this day, the honorable Imam [Khomeini] asked the people to choose the type of government and asked whether your choice is that Islam should flow in your life. In Imam's view, people's vote was not ceremonial and he really believed the people, and it was from the manifestations and behavior of the Imam's life that they believed the people and more than 98% of the people voted decisively for the Islamic Republic."
"Imam insisted on drafting the constitution quickly, while some said that there was still time for that. One of Nelson Mandela's comrades said that he had studied all the constitutions in the countries in the world and had not found any constitution as comprehensive and complete as the Iranian constitution. It is a constitution in which both democracy and ideals have been considered," the Iranian president said.
Later in his address to the opening ceremony of the 30th International Quran Exhibition, Raeisi attached great importance to the role holy Quran plays in a society.
The exhibition kicked off today in the Imam Khomeini (RA) Grand Mossalla (Mosque) in Tehran in the presence of President Raeisi.
It will run through util April 15th.
MNA