Islamic Republic Day Anniversary

Every year on the 12th of the Iranian month of Farvardin, the Iranian nation marks the Islamic Republic Day to commemorate the anniversary of the historic nationwide referendum held for two consecutive days in 1979 to determine the form of government.

The result of the massive turnout of people, of whom 98.2 percent voted for establishment of the Islamic system of government, is proof of the faith in Islam of the Iranians and their resolve to defeat the plots of enemies.

Exactly 38 years ago, within less than two months of the victory of the Islamic Revolution and overthrow of the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime, the jubilant Iranian people cast their ballots for the system of government based on God Almighty’s Revealed Word, the holy Qur’an, and the dynamic laws of the shari’ah, as was practically demonstrated in his lifetime by the Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Thus, the 12^th of Farvardin, which this year has fallen on April 1 of the Gregorian Calendar is indeed a Red-Letter Day in the history of Iran, since it was on this day the grateful nation responded to the call of their beloved leader, Imam Khomeini (God bless him), to completely transform the social and political structure of their homeland. Since that historic moment, the Islamic Republic has never looked back, and continues to proudly march towards the pinnacles of progress, despite the magnitude of the plots of Global Arrogance, led by the Great Satan, the US.

Here it is worth recalling the message of that Great Sage of the Age, Imam Khomeini, on the successful holding of the referendum in 1979 to determine the system of government. He said:

“I hereby congratulate the great nation of Iran which had been subjected to the oppression exerted upon it during the course of monarchial rule and tolerated whatever was done to it. Almighty God has bestowed a favour upon us and put an end to the dictatorial regime with His power which is the power of the deprived. Almighty God made our great nation the leader and pioneer of the deprived peoples and by establishment of the Islamic Republic, bestowed upon them their legitimate rights. On this auspicious day, I hereby declare the day of the leadership of the Ummah; the day of the victory and triumph of the nation which is the Islamic Republic of Iran. I hereby announce to the world that such a referendum has been unprecedented in the history of Iran whereby people from all walks of life and from every part of the country rush to the ballot boxes with so much enthusiasm and live to cast their votes for the Islamic Republic and in this way bury the dictatorial regime in the dust bin of history forever.”

Those were the words of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and they sum up the goals, objectives and aspirations of the people of Iran. Today, 38 years later, we all remember the slogans on the lips of the people who formed long queues to exercise their right for "independence, freedom and the Islamic Republic".

Imam Khomeini, during the ten years he was at the helm of affairs, refused to include any other term or word in the official designation of Iran as the Islamic Republic such as “democratic” or “peoples”, by making it clear that the phrase Islam is inclusive of all such trends, and Islamic Iran definitely does not want to be portrayed as one of those dependent states of the Third World that blindly ape the secular democratic systems of the West, without realizing that “liberal democracy” is a highly flawed system that never meets the people’s aspirations, and merely fools the masses. In other words, the term “Islamic”, plus “Republic”, is a very appropriate indication of the path chosen by Iran and the Iranian people for progress and development. It is the people who are the real owners of the revolution and for this reason their votes of “yes” are of high importance for the Islamic Republic system.

Over the past 38 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran despite the plots and sanctions of the US and its accomplices in crimes, including the 8-year war that was imposed by Saddam in the 1980s, has gone from strength-to-strength. Today, if the controversial US president, Donald Trump and his warmongering administration, thunder threats at the Islamic Republic, and provide arms and ammunitions to terrorists, and terroristic regimes of the region, this will only further strengthen the will of Iran and the Iranians to knit together to defeat all plots. Whether its enemies like it or not, the Islamic Republic system of government is here to stay in Iran and will continue to serve as role model for the countries of the region and beyond.

Today, despite the west's poisonous propaganda against the Islamic Republic and Islamophobia, the impacts of the Islamic Revolution on the other countries of the world have turned into an undeniable reality. Under pretext of human rights violations and baseless accusations of interfering in regional affairs, the chief culprit Washington and its surrogates are trying in vain to stop the popular appeal of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution among the regional people. But they will never succeed. Since the power of the Islamic Republic is based on people’s votes. In other words, the presence of people means respect for the opinion of the masses and their participation in decision-making as per the articles of the constitution.

Article One of the Constitution states that the type of Iran’s government is Islamic Republic. In other words, the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic system is based on the votes of the people. This means that the system of government in Iran manifests the rule of the people. Through institutionalizing of elections, the culture of responsibility in the field of politics has turned into the source of power and legitimacy. This effectively determines the course of the society, and shows that the people in the Islamic Republic are politically conscious.

In other words, it could be said that the Iranian people with their conscious presence in elections have increased the people’s power as deterrence against threats of the enemies and in this way have neutralized the plots of the domineering powers. It is the people’s political consciousness that has nullified the poisonous propaganda of the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Every time the enemies try to dissuade the people from casting their ballots, the people more determinedly turn out for the elections in order to slap the enemies in their faces. In the political culture, principles such as participation, consultation and unity in decision-making are among the factors that lead to growth of political awareness among the masses. Since elections and people’s participation strengthen the basis of popular rule in the society, the enemies of the Islamic Republic system have never concealed their enmity towards Iran and the Iranian people. The Iranian nation with its presence on the scene has turned the election into an opportunity for strengthening national, religious, and cultural unity.

In Islamic Iran, ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the holding of the referendum on Farvardin 12 in 1979, elections became the basis for the people’s political participation and the system of government has become a model administration. It enjoys people’s support, and serves as a model for all aspiring Muslim peoples of the region.

The massive turnout of people in the elections and their enthusiasm in voting for the candidates of their choice is clear indication of the dynamism of Iran’s popular religious system of government that is the source of country’s strength, power, stability, and security. This has certainly strengthened not just all domestic policies but also Iran’s foreign policy. That is the reason Iran’s influence is growing in the region and beyond. At the same time, this popular system has enabled the country to ride over the negative impacts resulting in the fall of oil prices, which is also a conspiracy by the US and certain Arab reactionary regimes that are afraid of people’s power and popular vote.

Thus, according to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, election is the greatest symbol of national power, and he has called on the people to turn out massively as usual for the presidential elections to be held in coming May. Now we understand why the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, used to refer to the 12^th of Farvardin as Youmollah or One of the Divine Days, whose importance should be remembered and fully observed, in order to keep Iran and the Iranian people on the straight and unwavering path of God, as opposed to the fallacious secular and democratic systems that have ruined modern societies.  

FK/AS/SS