Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, The President-Elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered a powerful and impassioned speech at the Free Iran World Summit 2024 in Paris, in which she underscored the determination of the Iranian people to overthrow the current regime and establish a democratic republic. “The overthrow of the Velayat-e faqih regime is inevitable, and freedom, democracy, and equality will be established in Iran, and peace will be secured in the Middle East,” Mrs. Rajavi said., emphasizing the certainty of the regime’s downfall and the dawn of a new era of liberty and democracy in Iran. She further highlighted the resilience of the Iranian people, who have shown their rejection of the regime through widespread boycotts and uprisings.
Regarding the regime’s recent presidential election, Mrs. Rajavi said, “The boycott struck a sledgehammer blow to the regime, with 88 percent of Iranians abstaining from the fraudulent elections. This overwhelming abstention represents the Iranian people’s decisive rejection of dictatorship and their clear vote for the regime’s overthrow.”
The election boycott is a powerful indicator of the regime’s declining legitimacy. The massive abstention rate reflects the people’s unequivocal desire for a revolution rather than participation in what they see as a sham electoral process.
“This election reflects the clerical regime’s utter political and strategic desperation. The next incoming President represents the continuation of the mullahs’ supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s strategy,” Mrs. Rajavi added.
Rajavi described the regime’s desperation as a government in its final throes, unable to sustain itself without resorting to extreme measures. She criticized the election process as merely an extension of Khamenei’s oppressive tactics.
On the flip side, Mrs. Rajavi highlighted the resilience of the Iranian Resistance. “This organized movement, soon entering its 60th year, has emerged from battles against both dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs. It has endured in a struggle marked by torture, imprisonment, executions, and continuous exile, but has not wavered in its pursuit of freedom,” she said.
She acknowledged the sacrifices made by countless individuals who have endured immense suffering in their relentless fight for freedom.
She also stressed the Resistance’s rejection of all forms of tyranny, saying, “Whoever yearns for a republic and the people’s sovereignty, whoever longs for freedom and democracy, must first overthrow the dictatorships of both the Shah and the mullahs.”
Rajavi called for a rejection of all forms of dictatorship, be it from the past monarchy or the current clerical rule, emphasizing that true freedom and democracy in Iran can only be achieved by dismantling these regimes entirely.
In her speech, Mrs. Rajavi also reflected on the death of regime president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19. Raisi was known for his loyalty to Khamenei and his role in the execution of thousands of dissidents. “Raisi’s death was a ‘poisoned chalice’ for Khamenei. Clearly, the regime’s impasse did not occur suddenly at the moment of Raisi’s death. In 2021, Khamenei accepted the scandal of appointing a henchman as president, viewing him as the final recourse in confronting the ripe conditions for overthrow,” Mrs. Rajavi said.
Rajavi criticized Western governments for their policies of appeasement, which she argues only embolden the regime’s oppressive and terrorist activities. She called for a definitive end to such policies, advocating for stronger support for the Iranian Resistance.
“The moribund regime finds itself encircled by Iranian society, yet the policies of Western governments persistently hinge on appeasement. This is why it is crucial to decisively end this policy once and for all,” she said.
Rajavi concluded with a powerful assertion that the Iranian people will ultimately overthrow the regime through their persistent uprisings and unyielding spirit of resistance.
“Certainly, the people of Iran will deliver the final and necessary response to Khamenei the tyrant with the sledgehammer of uprising and overthrow,” she said.
