Indirect elections
Better to have indirect elections for president as the public in general is not well-informed and follow fame[edit]
"Someone else asked-regarding election and whether the country should be ruled by the people or by the wise ones among the people.
"Abdul-Baha answered: "It is evident that it is better if the people elect the noble ones among them, and then these elect the president of the republic. That is to say, the president should be the elect of the elect, because the public in general are not as well informed as they should be in regard to political affairs. The common people follow fame. In reality, whatever affair the wise people desire to execute, the common people agree to. The affairs should be in the hands of the wise and not of the common people. But the wise people must be in the utmost faithfulness and sincerity of purpose; they must serve all the people, and protect and safeguard their welfare. Consider, if you put the general affairs into the hands of the common people they will be ruined. If you put all the work into the hands of the laborer the house will not be built. A wise architect is needed. The work is done by the architect, but the common laborer suffers the hardships. The general draws the map of war, but the common people do the fighting. We cannot give them the map. Is it possible to leave a regiment in the hands of a soldier? But if we want to be victorious and conquerors, a wise, experienced person must be made commander."
- (Star of the West, vol. 7, issue 9, p. 82)
Direct election can hardly be regarded as a significant democratic principle (and in any case cannot be applied to the Faith)[edit]
"Direct election of the main institutions of a society can hardly be regarded as a significant democratic principle. In the United States of America, for example, the president is elected by an electoral college of individuals chosen in state elections. In some other countries the president is elected by the parliament, not by the people. However, whether direct election is a democratic principle or not, it cannot be applied in the Bahá'í Faith because it is stated in the Sacred Writings that the Universal House of Justice must be elected in a three-stage election and National Spiritual Assemblies must be the outcome of a two-stage election."
- (On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, letter dated 2000-08-13, attachment 1, p. 4)
