Democracy: As Seen in the Political Philosophy of Imam Khomeini [R.A]
By Hamid Hadji Haidar

(Continued)
Emphasising the selection of governmental authorities, i.e. the leader, president, and representatives of the legislative body, he states:

The Vilayat-i Faqih (or supreme religious leader) is an individual whose morality, 'patriotism', knowledge and competency are evident to the people; and it is the people, themselves, who choose such a person/figure. It is the people, again, who ought to manage the disciplinary, administrative and other affairs of their government.

The people have the right to elect their president; and this is how it should be. According to human rights, it is you, the people, who should determine your destinies. The Majlis (Iranian Parliament) lies on top of all other institutions andthis very Majlis is nothing but the embodiment of the people.

Elsewhere, Imam Khomeini [R.A] incorporates sovereignty with the common masses and rejects the notion of it being confined to a specific stratum of society:

Elections aren't restricted to any specific people, be they the clergy, political parties etc.; they belong to all people. The people's destinies are in their own hands. Today, elections are situated in the hands of the people. During elections, all citizens are equal to one another, be he/she the president, the prime minister, the farmer working on his/her farm or the bazaar. In other words, each person is unreservedly equated with one vote.

Moreover, Imam Khomeini [R.A] approves of the 'rule of majority' and the concept of 'representative democracy' Thus, the Imam 'authorises' democracy in terms of the origin of a government's power and he defines it as being the formation of government based on the will of the masses. Note that Imam Khomeini's [R.A] perspective differs from that of pure democracy and liberalism in that the people - according to him - ought to execute their authority in a particular manner; i.e. the will of the masses ought to be bound by divine will; and this binding is materialised/manifested by the guardianship of the Vilayat-i Faqih over the government. As the Imam Khomeini [R.A] states:

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