Ayatollah Khamenei: New President Must Be with People Truly

Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday endorsed Ebrahim Raeisi as the eighth president of the Islamic Republic.

The endorsement ceremony was held at the Imam Khomeini Husseiniya in Tehran in the presence of senior authorities.

 While thanking God for having helped the Iranian nation succeed in these significant elections, which is a sign of religious democracy, the Leader said, “This (endorsement) ceremony, which is based on the Constitution and the custom established by our magnanimous Imam (Khomeini), has been held a number of times.”

In speaking of the transfer of power in Iran, the former president of Iran during the time of Imam Khomeini explained, “In other countries, this transfer of power is normally carried out accompanied by conflicts. But in our country, praise God, it is carried out in a calm, safe manner. This was the case in this election too by God’s grace. This is both a sign of the rationality, peace and tranquility that exists among the people and the officials and a sign of political diversity. The administrations that have held office up until today have had various political orientations. Naturally this diversity is a sign of electoral freedom and healthy elections.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also described the transfer of power in the country as being a place of hope and stressed, “In a transfer of power, new ideas and new resolve enter the field, and this is a source of hope for all those who are highly motivated to serve the country, in particular the youth.”

 The Leader then referred to the plot to boycott the elections, saying, “A plot had been devised by the political think tanks of the enemies to bring about a boycott on the elections. Inside the country too, some people pursued this idea out of ignorance or perhaps with some ulterior motives. But the people responded firmly by participating in the elections, and the turnout was good. Considering the circumstances that existed at that time, participation was good and it showed the people’s presence on the scene.”

Referring to President Raeisi’s statements and his frequent insistence on revolutionary values such as justice and fighting corruption, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that this insistence is being made on the right path and he advised the president to continue this path. The Leader described the new president’s slogan as being a popular slogan, and asked him to not abandon it. He also advised him to be with the people, to stand by the people’s side in the true sense of the word, and to always speak with them with sincerity.”

At the end, Ayatollah Khamenei spoke of the enemy’s propaganda war and said, “Today, most of the enemy’s moves against are carried out using soft warfare and the media. They spend a great deal in order to dominate public opinion in our country. They hire many intellectuals in order to be able to dominate and control public opinion in countries, especially in our country. When public opinion in a country is controlled by foreigners, the affairs of that country will be shaped according to their whims. Therefore, we must be stronger and wiser in the field of propagation.”