Maryam Rajavi: The Regime’s New President Neither Wants To Nor Can Take the Smallest Step Towards Change

The interim session of the National Council of Resistance of Iran coincided with the Iranian people’s resounding rejection of the mullahs’ dictatorship and their decisive vote for the clerical regime’s overthrow during the sham presidential elections, heralding the victory of a free Iran with a democratic republic.

One week ago, during the Free Iran 2024 World Summit, I declared that the sham elections were the outcome of the impasse and the major failures that plague the regime, because:

The people of Iran have clearly declared, “Our vote is to overthrow the regime; there is no place for elections in this regime. It’s time for revolution!”

I said, “On the day Ebrahim Raisi, the henchman of the 1988 massacre, was killed, the outpouring of popular joy was the true expression of the Iranian people’s vote.”

I also declared that “Reformists within this irreformable regime, who, according to their leader, are begging for two or three seats in the parliament, were this time used to increase turnout. However, when asked, their candidate reiterated that his programs and policies are decided by Khamenei, and that straying from them is a redline for him.”

The Conundrum of Succession within the Clerical Regime

The most significant reality about the five sham elections held one after the other since last March is that Khamenei aimed to resolve the issue of succession and ensure the regime’s survival after his death through this election. However, he failed in this endeavor, bringing the regime one significant step closer to its downfall.

This election was intended to address Khamenei’s succession problem and secure the regime’s continuity, but it has left the regime without a clear successor.

Therefore, darker days lie ahead for the ruling theocracy in Iran and the countdown to overthrow has begun.

The election theatrics yesterday were a scandalous fabrication of turnout, attempting to cover up the Iranian people’s major boycott of this round of elections, their widespread rejection of theocracy, their decisive vote for the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime, and their nationwide desire to establish a democratic republic.

Over the past several months, in the successive sham elections, the people of Iran have expressed their desire. They have said no to religious dictatorship and yes to a democratic republic. In the early hours after the announcement of the election outcome, Ali Khamenei, the mullahs’ desperate supreme leader, openly obliged his new president to publicly and clearly announce that he would continue the path of Ebrahim Raisi, the mass murderer.

Of course, Pezeshkian had already reiterated that he has fully submitted himself to the Velayat-e Faqih. He clearly stated that he believes in complete obedience to the supreme leader. He repeatedly described Qassem Soleimani as a “national hero” and declared, “We are not supposed to change the path.” He pledged to “achieve the goals” that, in his words, “are desired by the supreme leader,” meaning that he is obliged to execute whatever Khamenei orders and wants.

He also reiterated, “The duty of every government that takes office is not to change rails but to continue on the same path which has been previously designed.” He emphasized that “this general policy has been declared by Khamenei, in Khamenei’s program, and in his motto of the year.” Therefore, it is inconceivable that the new president will bring any change to the regime’s repressive, warmongering, and antipatriotic policies beyond Iran’s borders. This same path has already been paved by Raisi and Rouhani alike and will continue from now on.

The Iranian People’s Demands

If the regime’s new president claims to be different from others, if he is true to his words, he should address the Iranian people’s modest demands as outlined by the NCRI Chair today. These steps include:

– Cancelling the mandatory hijab and disbanding all patrols that suppress women.

– Releasing all political prisoners and opening Iranian prisons to international fact-finding missions.

– Abolishing the death penalty and all forms of inhuman punishments such as torture, flogging, limb amputation, and eye-gouging.

– Removing internet restrictions and censorship.

– Removing the Velayat-e Faqih representatives and the Basij, IRGC, and Intelligence Ministry operatives from universities.

– Disbanding the regime’s so-called revolutionary courts and dissolving the Guardian Council.

– Holding parliamentary elections without requiring adherence to the Velayat-e Faqih.

– Securing conditions for free speech and freedom of association.

– Ensuring the rights of workers, laborers, employees, educators, and retirees with their input.

– Reducing the prices of essential goods and public services such as bread, electricity, gas, gasoline, medicine, and housing.

The truth is that the entire Velayat-e Faqih regime is in the phase of overthrow. The regime’s new president neither wants to nor can take the smallest step towards change. The regime’s sham election marks the beginning of intensified and lethal crises for the mullahs’ rule.

The regime has no solutions in the face of the threat of forthcoming massive uprisings. It is incapable of dealing with the lethal impact of the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the henchman of the 1988 massacre, which dealt an irreparable blow to Khamenei’s strategy. The regime is entangled in the quagmire of the conflict in the region and is therefore the strategic loser in this war. It is incapable of resolving the conundrum of succession and the regime’s lack of a future. In any case, it is destined to encounter uprisings and its eventual overthrow.

The clerical regime will be overthrown by the Iranian people through their uprisings and organized resistance. A democratic republic will be established in Iran.