“In our country, elections are a great opportunity which should not be missed. Of course, the opponents of the Islamic Republic do not want the Islamic Republic to seize this opportunity. Elections have these characteristics: they are a good possibility for the nation, they are a great capacity for the progress of the country and they show the people’s revolutionary enthusiasm. When the people participate in elections and show their revolutionary enthusiasm, this will bring about security for the country. It will cause the enemy to step back and to be less greedy about the country. The more enthusiastic the elections are and the higher the turnout is, the more benefits and advantages it will have for the country and for the people themselves,” the Leader said on Feb. 17 addressing the Iranian people from East Azerbaijan Province via video links on the anniversary of the Popular Uprising of the People of Tabriz, which took place on February 18, 1978.
He added, “Of course, as I mentioned, the enemies do not want this. Whenever election time approaches – in all terms: we have held about 40 elections in the course of all these years – they begin to say things against it. Sometimes, they say that there is no freedom, sometimes they say that such and such people interfere in it, sometimes they claim that the elections have been engineered by such and such people and sometimes, they say other things in order to discourage the people from participating in it. This is what the enemy does”.
“However, the truth of the matter is that elections are a source of pride for the country. They are an opportunity, a possibility and a provision. If the people participate in it in large numbers, this will certainly help the future of the country. Of course, if this lively participation is accompanied by a correct choice through which a really competent, pious, motivated and enthusiastic group of people are elected, this will be even better as it will guarantee the future of the country, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
He said, “Well, in the following months, if I am alive, I will have many things to say about the elections, but today, I wanted to say this. I want to say that the cure for the serious problems of the country lies in holding an enthusiastic election with the large participation of the people and after that, in choosing the right person for the presidential elections”.
Iran will hold the next year’s presidential election on June 18, 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Candidates hoping to run in the next elections are to apply in early April for approval. The final list is to be announced by the Constitutional Council in early June.
The Constitutional Council is a constitutionally mandated 12-member council in Iran that, among other things, is tasked with ensuring the compatibility of the legislation passed by the parliament with the criteria of Islam and the Constitution.