Mahnaz Maimanat

Mahnaz Maimanat
Secretary General of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 September 2026
LeaderMaryam Rajavi
Preceded byZahra Merrikhi
Personal details
Born1959 (age 66–67)
Tehran, Iran
PartyPeople's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
Websitewww.mojahedin.org

Mahnaz Maimanat (born 1959) is an Iranian political activist and senior member of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). On 6 September 2026, she was elected Secretary-General of the PMOI, succeeding Zahra Merrikhi. The election was held simultaneously in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Albania. Following Maimanat's election, Maryam Rajavi said that the election demonstrated the PMOI's determination to overthrow Iran's ruling clerical government.

Political career

Maimanat joined the PMOI following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. According to the organization's biographical account, she studied agriculture at the University of Tehran and became a member of the PMOI's Executive Committee in 1989, its Leadership Council in 1993 and Central Council in 2014. She served as co-Secretary-General from 2021 until her election as Secretary-General.

2026 Elections

Maimanat received 56% of the vote in the first round, compared with 24% for Badri Pourtabbakh and 20% for Narges Azdanlou. She subsequently received 85% in the second round and near-unanimous support in the final round. Her term is two years.

Personal life

Maimanat is the daughter of judge Abdollah Maimanat. Two of her brothers were executed during the 1980s in Iran.

References

  1. ↑ "As Europe searches for a way out of the Iran crisis..." EU Reporter. 8 September 2026.
  2. ↑ "Why Tehran Is So Hostile to a Woman Leading Its Organized Opposition". National Council of Resistance of Iran.
  3. ↑ "Die iranische Hauptopposition wählt eine Frau zur neuen Generalsekretärin". Braunschweiger Zeitung. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  4. ↑ PMOI MEK (6 September 2026). "Mahnaz Maimanat Elected Secretary-General of the PMOI at a Major Gathering Marking the Start of the Organisation's 62nd Year". Mojahedin.
  5. ↑ "Von Martin Patzelt".
  6. ↑ "PMOI Statement: Election of the New Secretary-General Mahnaz Maimanat". Maryam Rajavi. 6 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Mahnaz Maimanat Elected Secretary-General". Mojahedin. People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. 6 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Mahnaz Maimanat Elected Secretary-General of the PMOI at a Major Gathering Marking the Start of the Organisation's 62nd Year".
  9. ↑ "Mahnaz Maimanat Elected Secretary-General of the PMOI at a Major Gathering Marking the Start of the Organisation's 62nd Year". Maryam Rajavi. 6 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.