TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for a massive turnout in the upcoming presidential election, saying the presence of the people would strengthen the country against its enemies.

Ayatollah Khamenei said on Sunday that any dereliction on the part of voters in the elections would harm the country.

“The only barrier against the animosity of the enemy is the presence of the people at the scene because the grandeur of an 80-million population country with a powerful and intelligent manpower and millions of youths will instill fear in the heart of the enemy,” he told a group of teachers and students in Tehran.

The Leader further said that all people should participate in the elections in order to preserve their country’s grandeur, sovereignty and security.

Iranians will go to the polling booths on May 19 to elect their next president, with more than 50 million people eligible to vote.

“Elections in the Islamic Republic drive from Islam. It is not such that 'republic' be attached to 'Islam'. If there had been no elections, no trace would have remained of the Islamic Republic of Iran today.”

Emphasizing that voters are free to vote for any candidate they choose, Ayatollah Khamenei said the main and important issue is that the people turn up at the polls to show that they are ready to defend Islam and the establishment.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the government for signing a UNESCO document, dubbed as the Education 2030 agenda charting out development goals for world nations, saying the Islamic Republic will not submit to it.

“This is the Islamic Republic of Iran where the criteria is Islam and the Qur'an. This is not a place where a faulty, destructive and corrupt Western lifestyle could have an influence. It makes no sense to accept such a document in the Islamic Republic,” he explained, according to Press TV.

He emphasized that such organizations are under the influence of world powers and aim taking advantage of Iran’s educational information.

“What occasion makes a so-called international body decide for world nations with diverse history, culture and civilization, under the influence of world powers?”

MH/PA