The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei Underlines Importance of Elections

The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei underlined that the experience of elections in Iran in the last 33 years, which have all been held with ultimate transparency, displays that the Islamic Republic attaches much importance and value to public will and free and democratic elections.
Despite all (negative) attempts and propaganda ploys, all elections in the Islamic Republic have been held with no delay and this reality shows the importance of elections to the Islamic establishment,” The Leader said, addressing Iranian lawmakers here in Tehran on Sunday.

The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei described the 30 elections held in Iran after the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution as a source of honor for the Islamic Republic and a sign of populism and rule of the public will in the country.

The Leader stressed that despite all the bad tempers and claims, elections in Iran in the last 3 decades have all been clear and transparent and no one has been able to prove the opposite.

The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei advised the heads of the three main branches of power (the parliament, the government and the judiciary) to take good care to continue holding elections in the country with the same level of transparency, and said, “No one in any way should interfere with elections so that elections are held on the basis of the legal procedures and the lawmakers are elected through public recognition and public choice.”

The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s remarks on elections come after Iran’s vetting body, the Guardian Council, in April agreed with an Interior Ministry proposal for holding the country’s next parliamentary elections in March 2012.

“The Guardians Council expressed its agreement with holding the 9th parliamentary elections on March 2, 2012,” Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced on Sunday.

The Guardian Council is composed of six Islamic jurists who are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader and six lawyers elected by the parliament.

Constitutionally, the council is in charge of vetting candidates for presidential, parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections.

Ensuring compatibility of parliament legislations with the criteria of Islam and the Constitution is among other duties of the body.