The 12th day of the new Iranian year is a national holiday marking the anniversary of selection of the Islamic Republic system in Iran, which was approved by the overwhelming majority of voters in a referendum in 1979.
Forty five years ago, the Iranian people’s call for a political system based upon Islamic values gained a momentum when more than 98 percent of the eligible voters in a two-day national referendum voted for the Islamic Republic establishment.
The Iranians’ move to opt for the Islamic Republic as the country’s political system followed less than two months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in February 1979, which put an end to 2,500 years of monarchic rule in Iran.
The system was established in Iran in line with the popular motto of the Revolution that demanded “Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic” for the country.
In remarks on March 7, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei described the birth of the Islamic Republic as an earthquake that had a global impact.
“It was a global event and not just a regional event related to one country. The leadership of the late Imam [Khomeini (ra)] and the determination, bravery, and sacrifices of the Iranian nation led to an event that created two [opposing] fronts in the world. One front was comprised of democracies dependent on the policies — I do not want to use the expression “school” — of liberal democracy. That is one front. The other front was the front of a republic related to religion and Islam, even originated from religion and Islam,” he said.