In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The presidential elections and the president's characteristics
My greetings to you, young men and women who at this juncture of time, came here for a significant cause and for a solution. The steps you have taken have been successful and despite the hardships which you and our nation have gone through, you have come out victorious. And I hope, through your reliance on Allah and your unity, you will resolve the obstacles on the next stages which are more crucial. The satanic forces are prepared not to let you proceed your way. From the very outset, they created obstacles on your way. They were determined to create hardships on your way. They still have not stopped their vicious plans against you. Neither will they stop later. You, young men and women and all layers of our nation, should proceed vigilantly. You have decided to be the captain of your own ship and have been, thank God, successful so far. Nobody may impose anything over you, and you are free to determine your destiny. I hope you will go through these electoral stages with more thought, prudence and enlightenment.
And you are to elect from among the candidates the one who has these characteristics: he should be more devoted to Islam than others; he should have a good record; he should not be inclined towards the East or West; he should observe the Islamic rules and decrees; he should be nationalistic; he should be sympathetic towards the nation; he should be a servant to his nation; he should not have had any position in the last regime; he should be affiliated with the foreigners; and he should be one of you. You are free to elect such a person as president. I am not supposed to select anybody for this position. What I will do is to tell you the characteristics of the president and those of the future representatives of the consultative assembly. You have to carry out the election yourselves. However, you should avoid discord and dispersion. You should be careful about the record of the candidates both prior to the revolution and after it. You should observe their activities after the revolution. After you have observed the required features in a person and have become content that he can fill this position and can manage the country in accordance with God's law, elect him for the presidency. Such a candidate should believe in Islam and in the Islamic rules. He should be obedient to the constitution as well. He should be loyal to Article 110 which deals with wilayat-e faqih. You should persuade others, as well, to elect such a candidate; avoid dispersion. If you are indifferent to such a great issue or if you are divided in your group concerning your votes, then an incompetent man would be elected as the president. You should try hard to avoid voting for a person who is not qualified. Otherwise, you would risk your fate and that of the Muslims. I hope, relying on God, you will carry out this important plan. I ask God for the health, success and welfare of our nation. They have told me some of the relatives of the martyrs of Sardasht are here among you. I give them my condolences. I sympathize with the Iranian nation. May God bless your martyrs and provide you with sobriety, and our nation and Islam with grandeur.
May God's peace and mercy be upon you.