Ayatollah Khamenei Speech on Election Protests

Ayatollah Khamenei Speech on Election Protests
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Khamenei Says Ahmadinejad Re-Election Valid, Protests Must End

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that Iran’s election is valid and the time for protests is over.

The re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a “real celebration” for Iran and a “political earthquake” for the country’s enemies, the supreme leader said. Foes of the Islamic republic wanted to “crush trust” in the state, which would never manipulate the vote, and doubts about the outcome should be dealt with legally, he said in a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran.

Demonstrations against the result that started the day after the June 12 vote have been the largest since the Islamic Revolution ousted the shah in 1979, as the main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and his supporters accused Ahmadinejad of vote- rigging.

“Supporters of some of the candidates should have faith that the Islamic Republic does not betray people’s votes,” Khamenei said. “The country’s legal structure does not allow for fraud to take place”

At the same time, he cautioned the defeated challengers against prolonging the protests. The result of the election comes from the ballot box “not from the street,” the supreme leader said.

Protesting should end, he said. “I want everyone to put an end to this, this is not the right thing to do”

Khamenei also criticized attempts to portray the challengers as opposed to the Islamic republic.

Competition Between Candidates

“The competition was between four candidates who all belong to the establishment,” he said. “The enemy and its media want to portray this as a fight between those who are for and those who are against the establishment but this is wrong. The contest was within the framework of the Islamic republic and all four candidates belong to the system.”

Ayatollah Khamenei Speech on Election Protests