Introduction of Maryam Rajavi as President-elect of the Iranian Resistance

In August 1993, the National Council of Resistance, the Iranian Resistance’s Parliament, elected Mrs. Rajavi as Iran’s future President for the transitional period following the mullahs’ overthrow. On October 21, 1993, Maryam Rajavi was introduced as the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance. In his statement, the chairman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on October 21, 1993, Mr. Massoud Rajavi, announced: In great jubilance and pride, I announce the enactment of the National Council o Resistance of Iran (NCRI) regarding election of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi as the future President of the country. This is a the most advisable historical selection by the great national and patriotic Resistance for the felicity of the Iranian nation, a victorious and auspicious that facilitates overthrow of the antihuman enemy and guarantees freedom and prosperity of tomorrow’s Iran. Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Rajavi went to Paris to lead the Resistance’s endeavors on the international scene. In her new role as the President, she quickly presented a formidable and serious political, social, cultural and ideological challenge to the ruling clerics. Under her leadership, women have attained key positions within the ranks of the Resistance. Women comprise half the members in the NCRI. They occupy the most senior positions of responsibility in political, international and military arenas in the Resistance. One-third of the NLA’s combatants and many of its commanders are women, as is the entire Leadership Council of the Mojahedin. Mrs. Rajavi’s election gave the oppressed and demoralized citizenry, especially women, new hopes for a better future. Equally profound and inspiring was the impact of her election among Iranians living abroad. Many delegations from the four-million-strong Iranian exile community, consisting of the most educated and skilled sectors of the society, rushed to meet Mrs. Rajavi in Paris. Mrs. Rajavi says: "I have dedicated my life to a better future for the people of Iran. I want to prove that as a democratic alternative for society, Islam is not aggressive and can be quite constructive for women. This sense of responsibility gives me inner calm and the feeling of genuine freedom… After the mullahs are overthrown, we must try, before all else, to eliminate the sense of vengeance and hatred among our people. We must create unity and expand the notion of tolerance in society. It is our responsibility to revive the Iranian people’s identity and values."