Imam Khomeini sought massive turnout, participation of public in elections

The late founder of the Islamic Revolution frequently repeated the following in his speeches: "You are free to vote for anything you want. I myself will vote for an Islamic Republic." 

From very beginning of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini had pursue the officials to manage to hold a historic referendum in order to establish an Islamic-democratic system in the country

Imam Khomeini had tried hard to make people aware of the importance of a referendum, which appointed the type of government people wanted and announced their opinion with regards to an Islamic republic.

Highlighting the participation of people in elections, Imam once said in a historic message as following:

"When a virtuous government is in place, it follows that the people will be allowed to vote freely, and when that happens, they will select righteous people for the parliament. For not all the people are bad, the majority of them are good, virtuous individuals who want the good of the country. They want it to thrive, to enjoy a sound economy, and they pray for good, honest men to govern. It is only natural that when elections are free and safe from the interference of these unrighteous individuals, righteous people will enter parliament. And when this happens, a virtuous government will be formed, a virtuous president will take control, one who will not act against the interests of the country."      

                                                                        ( Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol. 5, Page 314)

 Iran is prepared to hold two major elections this week as the country reiterates its commitment to a constitutional principle stipulating that the affairs of the country must be administered by relying on people's votes.

Iranians will vote on Friday in two separate elections for the country’s parliament and the Assembly of Experts.

Figures by Iran’s Interior Ministry show that nearly 15,000 candidates have been approved to compete in the parliamentary elections this year, a record since the victory of the Islamic Revolution 45 years ago.

The candidates will compete for 290 seats of the parliament, five of which represent religious minorities namely Jews, Assyrians, Zoroastrians, and Armenians. They are elected for a four-year term.

Hundreds of candidates are also vying for 88 seats in Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a body with an eight-year mandate that is in charge of overseeing the activities of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and is in a position of authority to either appoint or dismiss the Leader.

Candidates running for the elections have officially launched their election campaign across Iran, with people from different walks of life as well as current members of the parliament and the Assembly of Experts competing for seats in the two bodies that will convene in late May.

In a recent speech, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called for massive turnout in the upcoming elections which he described as the “main pillar of the Islamic Republic.”