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Following are excerpts from an address delivered by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, aired on Channel 1, Iranian TV, on June 16, 2009.
Ali Khamenei: First of all, let me apologize for talking to you in a hoarse voice. For two or three days, I have been hoarse, because of the flu or something.
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To think that there is a group of 24 million people on one side and a group of 14 million people on the other side is a very great mistake, in my opinion. That’s not the case. Everybody is on the same side. Those who voted for the president in these elections and those who did not vote for him are just as supportive of the revolution, the state, and the regime. [Both] groups of people belong to this country, this nation. It is a mistake for us to consider these two groups of voters – one of which voted for a certain candidate, and the other group which did not – to be hostile adversaries. No – they had different tastes regarding a certain issue, a certain choice.
The main point is that when it comes to belief in the regime and support of the Islamic Republic, they are all united. The important thing to focus on is that approximately 40 million people participated in these elections.
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As you gentlemen have mentioned, there may be people who have problems and who registered protests regarding certain procedures that occurred in the elections. They have protests. There are legal paths [to take]. Obviously, we need to take care of this. You gentlemen have raised certain issues. I ask the top officials of the country, in the Ministry of the Interior, as well as in the Guardian Council, to meticulously take care of these issues.
If it is necessary to conduct a recount of some of the disputed ballots, this will not be a problem. For example, the gentlemen here mentioned that somebody had said that a certain candidate had gained a certain number of votes, but that later, in the [final] count, a different total had been presented. Fine, there is no problem. A recount should be held in those ballots that are disputed or in some random ballots, in the presence of representatives of the candidates. They should be present in order to create [an atmosphere] of trust for everyone.
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