Khamenei: There Has Absolutely Been No Organized Fraud in Elections Since the Revolution

On Monday, January 14, the leader of Iran criticized the events of 2009 once again, stating that there has been "absolutely no organized fraud in elections since the beginning of the revolution and that all governments have acted responsibly." Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts, calling the act of blowing the "trumpet of uncertainty about elections" a "bad habit and disease." According to the official website of Ayatollah Khamenei, during a meeting with "Friday prayer leaders across the country," he elaborated on his previous positions regarding the "rights of the people" and stated that "one of the respects for the rights of the people" is that "we should not reject a qualified person and allow the unqualified to enter." He emphasized that if there is a person in the Assembly of Experts or the parliament who does not have the legal qualifications to enter and we overlook this, it is also a violation and destruction of the rights of the people. Ayatollah Khamenei stated, "We must reach the depth of the rights of the people; the rights of the people do not only mean that there should be no fraud in counting votes." Previously, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani emphasized the importance of respecting the rights of the people in elections, saying, "The rights of the people do not only mean preserving people's votes, but we must help ensure that everyone who is qualified according to the law can participate in the competition." In another part of his speech, the Iranian leader referred to "infiltration" as a "very strange" issue, stating, "If an infiltrator enters the parliament and the Assembly of Experts and other institutions, it will gnaw at the foundations from within like a termite." He called for "enlightenment without specifying instances and accusations." Ayatollah Khamenei also called on everyone to accept the results of the upcoming elections, stating, "Accepting the legal results of the elections is a right of the people; it is against what happened in 2009 when a denial was raised to invalidate the votes of 40 million people." He remarked, "I have been very lenient with these people, but it was not meant for them to listen. I really do not know how long the damages of 2009, which have not yet been compensated, will last." It seems that his remarks refer to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the leaders who protested the results of the 2009 elections and have been under house arrest for five years. These leaders claimed that the votes were "engineered" after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was announced as the winner of the tenth presidential election. Protests against the election results lasted for months, resulting in dozens of deaths and thousands being arrested on charges of acting against national security. Recently, a senior advisor to the commander of the Revolutionary Guard accused Mir Hossein Mousavi of still being "delusional today and for this reason, he does not repent or apologize." In his speech on Monday, the Supreme Leader considered "preserving trust" as another aspect of the "rights of the people," stating, "Those who count, register, collect, and report the votes, and all officials involved in the elections, any minor violation on their part is a betrayal of trust." He urged groups that provide electoral lists to "see who is worthy" and said, "They should respect the right, not engage in factionalism and favoritism." The elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts will be held on March 7. Following the registration of candidates for these two elections, the process of vetting these individuals is underway, and according to ISNA news agency, the review of the qualifications of parliamentary candidates will conclude on Tuesday night.