Imam Khamenei: Iranians’ Participation in Elections to Protect Country’s Grandeur, Sovereignty
Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said any dereliction on the part of voters in Iran’s elections this month would harm the country, urging a massive turnout to disappoint the enemies.
“The only barrier against the animosity of the enemy is the presence of the people at the scene because the grandeur of an 80-million country with a powerful and intelligent manpower and millions of youths will instill fear in the heart of the enemy,” His Eminence said on Sunday.
“If we want the grandeur and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic to be preserved and its immunity to stay, all should participate in the elections,” the Imam told a group of teachers and students in Tehran Sunday. Iranians will go to the polls on May 19 to elect a new president and members of local city and village councils, with more than 50 million people eligible to vote.
“If there is a dereliction and some agents pave the way for people’s disappointment, the country will definitely suffer and anyone who is involved in this damage, will be responsible before God,” Imam Khamenei added. His Eminecne described elections as a “critical and very valuable issue” for the Islamic Republic, which embraced “different tastes and political views as well as diverse inclinations.”
“Elections in the Islamic Republic drive from Islam. It is not such that a ‘republic’ has been attached to ‘Islam’. If there had been no elections, no trace would have remained of the Islamic Republic of Iran today.” Imam Khamenei said voters were free to cast their ballot for any candidate they chose.
“The main and important issue is that the people turn up at the polls to show that they are ready to defend Islam and the establishment and preserve the country’s immunity.” The Imam warned that “the enemy will discharge its venom if it gets a chance and will not heed overtures” by certain individuals or politicians.
“If, by the grace of God, this resolution and will of the people is preserved with the same intensity and grandeur, the enemy will never be able to do a damn thing in the face of the Iranian nation.” Imam Khamenei made his remarks during an occasion to honor Iranian teachers and highlight the role of education.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Imam said a UN document, dubbed as the Education 2030 agenda charting out development goals for world nations, had been prepared under the influence of world powers. Iran signed the document in 2016 but Imam Khamenei said the Islamic Republic will not submit to it.
“A hushed signing and implementation of this document is definitely not permissible and the related bodies have been notified of that,” the Imam said. For their part, Iran’s education planners said the UNESCO document is not in tune with the country’s educational standards, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
They warned that submitting to the UNESCO agenda would require Iran to share its educational information which could end up in wrong hands.
Source: News Agencies
