Khamenei Calls for Increased Participation to Ensure the 'Dignity' of the Government and 'Silencing' of Enemies

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, once again called for high participation in the upcoming presidential election, citing the main reasons as the 'dignity' of the Islamic Republic and the 'silencing' of its enemies. Khamenei made these remarks on Tuesday, July 5, during a meeting with groups of people from five provinces, coinciding with the Eid al-Ghadir celebration. In a speech broadcast live on his website and the Islamic Republic's television, he explicitly stated that if public participation in the elections is not sufficient, the 'enemies and slanderers' will have a longer tongue. He stated: 'The most important effect of high participation, which we insist on, is the dignity of the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic has enemies, and one of the things that overcomes these enemies is elections and high public participation.' Khamenei added that experience shows 'whenever participation has been low, the tongue of the enemies of the Islamic Republic has been long... With participation in elections, the tongue of the enemies and slanderers is shortened, and they cannot blame us, and we do not make the enemy happy.' He urged voters again to participate in the elections if they support a 'strong Iran and the Islamic Republic.' The early presidential elections in Iran are scheduled for Friday, July 8, and with only three days remaining, the atmosphere of participation has been described as 'cold.' Field reports from several journalists and civil political activists indicate that there is no electoral enthusiasm in society, and in the virtual space, apart from a few individuals belonging to specific political factions, there is no significant electoral activity. Recently, some institutions and media close to the Islamic Republic and political figures have expressed concern about the level of participation in the upcoming elections. According to results published by a polling institute affiliated with the Research Center of the Parliament on July 2, the 'definite participation' rate, which was 53.4% from June 6 to 9, fell to 45.5% from June 29 to 31. Khamenei dedicated the second part of his speech on elections to the selection of what he called the 'most suitable individual,' defining this person as someone who 'first and foremost has a heartfelt and genuine belief in the principles of this revolution and system' and, secondly, 'has the ability to work, knows no day or night, and utilizes good elements and collaborators.' Khamenei referred to Ibrahim Raisi, whose presidency was cut short due to his death in a helicopter crash, as a 'martyr of service' and someone who 'truly believed in the principles of the revolution' and 'utilized all the capacities of the country,' claiming that if his government had continued, 'many problems, mainly economic problems of the country, would have been solved.' This claim comes despite official reports indicating that the inflation rate during the first two years of his presidency reached 50%, breaking an 80-year record. Furthermore, the price of the dollar increased by more than 160% during the 32 months of Ibrahim Raisi's government, while this figure was only 10% during the similar period of Hassan Rouhani's administration. In another part of his remarks, Khamenei, without naming other presidents, stated that 'governments have not been uniform in utilizing capacities; some governments did not utilize them, some did, and some utilized them well.' He provided a list of the country's capacities, including 'a young educated population, the country's climatic diversity, tourism expansion opportunities, geographical location, a large regional market, and the capacity of free trade zones.' However, he did not address the reasons for the young population's emigration from Iran, the factors discouraging tourists from visiting Iran despite its vast tourism potential, and the lack of investment in Iran due to regional interventions and the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile activities. Khamenei also criticized politicians who look to 'depend on' certain powers, especially the United States, claiming they 'think all paths to progress go through America,' stating that they cannot utilize all the capacities of the country. He referred to those who criticize such statements as individuals who either 'delude themselves or write that this means encircling the country and not connecting with the world.' Khamenei mockingly addressed supporters of normalizing relations with the global community, saying: 'We have been in politics as long as some of these gentlemen have lived and have always believed in connecting with the whole world except for one or two exceptions... We seek courage and national independence.' His advice to election candidates was that if they succeed in the elections, they should not choose their officials from among those who have 'the slightest divergence from the revolution, the Imam, and the system.' Among the candidates, only Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Masoud Pezeshkian explicitly referred to the necessity of reviving the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA and lifting sanctions, while Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf showed some agreement on this issue, but other candidates opposed connections with the West and the revival of the JCPOA. Khamenei, who has repeatedly emphasized the need for widespread participation in elections after the violent suppression of protests following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the increasing indifference of citizens towards the ballot box, made no mention of concerns in this regard in his remarks today. This comes as almost all candidates in the fourth round of debates acknowledged the issue of citizens' 'boycott and disengagement' from elections in Iran.