Maryam Rajavi’s Roadmap for the Transitional Period in Post-theocracy Iran
Washington Times | March 5, 2025
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Friends of a Free Iran held a significant conference at the European Parliament to discuss the pressing situation in Iran. The keynote speaker was Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The event drew participation from dozens of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) across the political spectrum, many of whom addressed the gathering during the two-hour session. They called on the European Union to reassess its policies on Iran, urging an approach that aligns with the aspirations of the Iranian people and recognizes the crucial role of the organized resistance.
In her address, Mrs. Rajavi presented the NCRI’s comprehensive roadmap for dismantling Iran’s theocratic regime and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power to democratically elected representatives. Her Ten-Point Plan, which underscores commitments to democracy, human rights, and gender equality, has already received endorsements from more than 125 former heads of state as well as 4,000 parliamentarians worldwide.
Below are the key points raised by Mrs. Rajavi during her address to the conference:
Iran: Process of Regime Change and the Role of the Organized Resistance
1.The profoundly discontented and incensed populace, together with the Resistance Units leading the charge and the courageous women at their helm, constitute the components of the Army of Freedom. Through their relentless efforts to dismantle the barriers of oppression, they embody the pivotal force for change and stand as the freedom fighters of Iran.
- The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), boasting thousands of seasoned cadres, carries a 60-year history of battling the tyrannies of both the Shah and the mullahs. Its central role is acknowledged by the Iranian regime as its chief adversary and the decisive force behind every setback the regime has faced over the past 45 years. Consequently, it has been the primary target of the regime’s campaigns of suppression, terrorism, and vilification.
Ashraf 3 in Albania, home to over a thousand heroic women and nearly 1,000 individuals who endured torture under the regimes of both the Shah and the mullahs, serves as one of the centers of the organization.
- The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a democratic alternative, comprises 457 members from a broad range of political backgrounds, with women representing over 50% of its membership. Established 43 years ago in Tehran, it is the longest-standing political coalition in Iran’s history. The NCRI champions a comprehensive program that advocates for freedoms and women’s rights, autonomy for ethnic groups, equality between Shia and Sunni Muslims, and protections for other religious minorities. It supports the separation of religion and state, the abolition of the death penalty, and a non-nuclear Iran, and has consistently promoted peace in the Middle East.
- Over the past four decades, the Iranian Resistance has organized the largest gatherings of Iranians abroad, a clear testament to its support within Iran. Among its supporters are the families and survivors of the 100,000 victims who sacrificed their lives for freedom, with the names and details of 20,000 of these individuals having been published. This support base also includes hundreds of thousands of political prisoners from the past 45 years.
At great cost, this Resistance was pivotal in unveiling the regime’s secret nuclear activities and facilities in 2002, as well as exposing its regional interferences. A diverse cadre of Iranian professionals abroad, organized across 320 associations within Iranian communities, plays a crucial role in laying the groundwork for a free and democratic Iran.
Operating independently and with financial self-sufficiency, the Resistance funds all its activities—from daily operations to communications, publications, gatherings, and a 24-hour television broadcast via five satellites—through contributions from its members and supporters both inside and outside Iran.
- The international recognition and credibility of the NCRI were underscored by statements from the majority of 34 legislative bodies across Europe and America, along with several Arab countries, as well as 137 former world leaders and 80 Nobel laureates supporting the Resistance’s Ten-Point plan for the establishment of a democratic republic in Iran, which was announced at the grand gathering of Iranians in June 2024 in Berlin. These declarations emphasized that in Iran, there is no place for either religious dictatorship or monarchy.
- The NCRI’s objective is not to seize power but to restore it to its rightful owners—the people of Iran. According to the NCRI platform, the process for transferring power after the regime’s overthrow consists of the following steps:
a-The establishment of a provisional government, which will be in power for a maximum of six months. The primary responsibility of this government will be to organize elections for a Constituent Assembly.
b-Once the Constituent Assembly is formed, the provisional government will step down, marking the completion of the NCRI’s mission.
c-Sovereignty will then be transferred to the people’s representatives in the Constituent Assembly. These representatives will appoint a new government for a two-year term to draft, approve, and hold a referendum on the constitution of the new republic.
This structured approach ensures that, with a viable alternative in place, there will be no room for chaos. Millions of Iranians abroad, equipped with their expertise and resources, will return to Iran. Regarding the international community, the focal element of its policy towards Iran should be recognizing the right of the Iranian people to initiate change and acknowledging the decisive role of the organized resistance.
