Secular elections

Presidential elections[edit]

President must not be seeking the presidency insistently or be thinking of name and rank[edit]

"In the morning `Abdu'l-Bahá spoke about the election of the president of the republic. He said:

"The president must be a man who does not insistently seek the presidency. He should be a person free from all thoughts of name and rank; rather, he should say, `I am unworthy and incapable of this position and cannot bear this great burden.' Such persons deserve the presidency. If the object is to promote the public good, then the president must be a well-wisher of all and not a self-seeking person. If the object, however, is to promote personal interests, then such a position will be injurious to humanity and not beneficial to the public."

(Mahmúd's Diary, October 14, 1912)

President best to be the elect of the elect as the common people are not very 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)

In the United States, believers to take part in elections, but to obey laws and not to oppose the government[edit]

"O thou servant of Baha’! Thou hast asked regarding the political affairs. In the United States it is necessary that the citizens shall take part in elections. This is a necessary matter and no excuse from it is possible. My object in telling the believers that they should not interfere in the affairs of government is this: That they should not make any trouble and that they should not move against the opinion of the government, but obedience to the laws and the administration of the commonwealth is necessary. Now, as the government of America is a republican form of government, it is necessary that all the citizens shall take part in the elections of officers and take part in the affairs of the republic."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 342-343)