Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, said yesterday that the invalid votes cast in the recent presidential elections were also votes for the Islamic Republic system. He insisted that people had come to the polls, but, not having seen their favorite among the candidates listed, had written in their own preferred candidate or cast a blank, “white vote.” According to Khamenei, both of these kinds of votes in fact indicate the people’s support for voting and for the Islamic Republic system.
