Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led people in Friday congregational prayers in Tehran yesterday and talked about the Iranian presidential elections, which were held last Friday morning. This is not important because it was expected. But people who followed the seven-day demonstrations in protest against the election results were waiting for this speech to know what Khamenei would say! It is not also important that Khamenei's speech, which drew the attention of the world, categorically denied that the elections were rigged. It warned those who promote such allegations that they would be responsible for any bloodshed!
Nor is it important that Khamenei said the election was fairly won by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and not rigged, as defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi alleges!
It is not also important that Khamenei said 45 million people voted, the authorities extended voting for four hours, 80% of the eligible voters participated in elections and believed in the principles of the Iranian revolution, which was staged by Khomeini in February 1979. This is not important because it was expected!
It does not matter that Khamenei said the Iranian presidential elections are not like the US disputed presidential elections in 2000, when a conflict arose between former US President Bush and his rival over 100,000 votes. Iran's laws do not allow vote-rigging, especially at the level of 11 million," he said, referring to Ahmadinejad's victory margin!
The important thing is that he said he would not interfere in the elections or their results, because such intervention has a single meaning; to cancel judicial supervision over elections. In this case, there would not be any kind of real elections!
In Egypt, we canceled judicial supervision over elections and the People's Assembly (Parliament) defied the Court of Cassation's decisions on any constituency! This is the difference between power in the hands of jurisprudents and power in the hands of the people!
