Twenty-nine years ago, the Iranian Resistance experienced a major overhaul in thinking and practice by investing all its assets on the leadership of women. On October 18, 1989, Massoud Rajavi, the sitting Secretary General of the PMOI, passed on his mandate to Maryam Rajavi who had already shared the post as joint-leader since 1985.
In appointing her, Massoud Rajavi said, she had proven to be “uniquely qualified” to take on the leadership of the main Iranian opposition movement with 120,000 martyrs and 20 years of struggle against two dictatorships.
Maryam Rajavi’s rise to the leadership of the PMOI/MEK was a response to the sacrifices made by tens of thousands of brave PMOI women who had taken great risks, withstood horrendous tortures, and given their lives to defend their people’s rights. At the same time, it was a declaration of war on the mullahs’ misogynous culture and fundamentalist vision and practices.
In this capacity, Maryam Rajavi overhauled the whole structure of the organization, paying the price of offering equal opportunities to women in all realms of struggle which were previously occupied only by men. In this way, women found the possibility to believe in their own power and gain experience. At the same time, men needed to totally change their attitudes and vision towards women, something that was gradually realized in the organization as women proved their qualifications and competence in every field. On the other hand, women's participation in leadership could never be realized without the cooperation of emancipated men.
Women’s active presence in all the arenas of struggle enabled the PMOI to introduce new methods and practices which improved its adaptation to the sophisticated struggle against the mullahs’ regime.
Four years later, during its plenary session, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition whose members include a number of Iranian opposition organizations and prominent personalities, elected Maryam Rajavi as the President-elect for the period of transitioning power to the Iranian people. The election was made public on October 22, 1993. The NCRI acts as a parliament-in-exile and a legislative assembly.
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