Message on the Occasion of the Beginning of the Eleventh Term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and may God's blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.

Today, with divine guidance and grace, the eleventh term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly begins, and the glorious and shining forehead of Islamic democracy once again appears before the eyes of the world. I thank the Wise and Powerful God for assisting the Iranian nation in the tireless movement to establish the legislative assembly, and I express my gratitude for the determination and motivation of the dear nation, and I congratulate the elected representatives who have been able to gain the hope and trust of the voters.

The late Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) considered the assembly to be at the head of affairs; this can be regarded as the most comprehensive expression that announces the status and duty of the assembly in a short sentence. If we consider the law as the path and direction of the country towards the peaks and destinations defined in the Constitution, the assembly is committed to this vital rail-laying and guiding. All governmental and popular institutions and all individuals have the duty to move along this path. The guarantee for the execution of this duty is also — in addition to the judiciary, which is responsible for ensuring the execution of the law — foreseen within the assembly itself, which includes the right to investigate, the right to approve and reject senior managers of the executive branch, the right to remind, question, and impeach. Therefore, if the law is correct, sufficient, and executable, and if the guarantees for its execution are properly utilized, the country will achieve its lofty goals. This is the noble status of the assembly and this is its vital and important duty.

Those who can place the assembly in this deserving position are you, the esteemed representatives. When the representatives of the assembly, with a correct understanding of the conditions and priorities of the country, and with expertise, active and organized presence, and integrity and trustworthiness, fulfill their legislative duties and other responsibilities, the assembly will be the point of hope for the people and the point of reliance for the executors, and in the true sense, it will be at the head of the country's affairs, and such an assembly will have a significant share in leading the country to lofty goals. The main danger is the representatives becoming preoccupied with harmful distractions, introducing unhealthy personal and factional motivations, negligence in work, or unhealthy ethnic, regional, and tribal classifications, and the like.

Currently, the economy and culture are at the top of the country's priority list. Regarding the economy, in addition to the major visible problems, we must acknowledge that in the decade of progress and justice, we have not achieved a desirable score in terms of justice. This unwanted reality should compel everyone to think and act regarding the livelihood of the underprivileged classes as a priority. Experts advise us that the correct path for this purpose is to reform the main lines of the national economy, namely: employment, production, the value of the national currency, inflation, wastefulness, and the like.

The general policies of the resistant economy in this regard are a credible guide. Attention to the preparation of the seventh program, which is among the immediate duties of the eleventh assembly, and also attention to reducing the determining role of crude oil in the government's financial resources, which itself is a valuable opportunity for outlining the country's economic line, is another recommendation of mine to you, dear ones.

In carrying out the supervisory duty, my emphasis is on observing piety and fairness and avoiding personal and factional biases. No right of a diligent and hardworking manager and executor should be violated, nor should there be unnecessary negligence or oversight.

Cooperation among representatives, intertwining the experience of the seasoned with the enthusiasm and vigor of the youth and newcomers, competing in pure and good actions and not competing for this or that position, revolutionary stances in important global and domestic events, attention to research centers and the Court of Accounts, issuing calmness and assurance to the public opinion of the country in speeches, brotherly interaction with the executive and judicial branches, repealing redundant and obstructive laws, and avoiding the proliferation and congestion of laws are other recommendations of mine to you, the representatives of the nation. I am confident that adhering to these principles will prove to the Iranian nation that their choice was correct and will increase their desire to participate in elections. Consider piety, reliance, and trust in God as your endless capital and move forward with strength and seriousness. May God assist you.

I find it necessary to express my gratitude to the esteemed representatives of the previous term, especially to its motivated and hardworking president, Mr. Dr. Larijani, and I pray for divine reward for every righteous act of theirs. May God's peace and blessings be upon the great Mahdi (may my soul be sacrificed for him) and may divine mercy and forgiveness be bestowed upon the pure souls of the martyrs and their leader, Imam Khomeini.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei 7 Khordad 1399