Abbas Re-Elected as Fat'h Chief

Conference elects Abbas head of Fat'h

Published today (updated) 08/08/2009 16:17

Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Sixty-five of over 2,000 delegates to the Sixth Fat'h Congress opposed the motion to elect Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian president and current party leader, as head of the party.

The motion, voted on in the hall of the Terra Sancta School in Bethlehem, was done by hand count. It covered the election of Abbas as head of the party, and choice to cap the seats of the Central Committee at 18, plus the party president and four other members to be chosen by the Central Committee once it is formed.

Shortly before the vote took place, Abbas' supporters broke out into a prepared poem praising him and his leadership. Following the decision he said, “I did not expect that the conference would succeed in this way... Hamas is still carrying out its attacks against Fat'h affiliates in Gaza yet the conference succeeds and will succeed despite them.”

Abbas Re-Elected as Fat'h Chief

2009-08-08 19:49:42

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) --

Delegates at Fat'h's general conference on Saturday reelected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a leader of the party.

The election of Abbas was unopposed and the conferees applauded when Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a Fat'h official, announced that Abbas would continue to be the general leader of Fat'h.

Othman Abu Gharbeya, chief of the convention, officially confirmed the decision later.

The general conference is the first of its kind in 20 years and the first to be held inside the Palestinian territories. During the conference, which started on Tuesday, Fatah will also elect a new central committee and a revolutionary council, the highest legislative bodies of Fatah.

Meanwhile, the conferees agreed on the number of the central committee's members. The new committee will comprise 22 members, 18 of them would be elected by voting and four would be appointed by the elected members.

The new revolutionary council will be made up of 120 members.

The elections of the two bodies will be carried out on Sunday under the hope that the Islamic Hamas movement, Fatah's bitter rival, will allow the Gaza-based Fatah members to run and vote in the elections.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, prevented some 400 Fatah members in Gaza from traveling to attend the conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Fatah again delays leadership election

2009-08-08 20:34:44

by Saud Abu Ramadan and Emad Drimly

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) --

Fatah's first general conference in 20 years on Saturday again delayed its leadership election and might hold it on Sunday or Monday, officials said.

Abbas Zaki, Fatah representative in Lebanon told reporters that holding the movement's internal elections "depends on the situation, and no one can setup a specific date for it. But we can say that elections are expected to be held within the coming 24 hours."

Around 2,500 Fatah congress members have to elect 18 members for the central committee, and 120 members for the revolutionary council.

"Some 100 candidates will run for the central committee membership, while 646 members run for the revolutionary council." said Zaki.

Well-informed official sources in the congress told Xinhua that discussions and debates are still continuing, mainly on the issue of Gaza Strip congress members' participation, adding that 18 different committees formed by the congress have not finalized their reports and recommendations.

"The elections can not take place before all the 18 committees finalize all their reports," said the sources.

The committees have to prepare reports related to such issues as Jerusalem, refugees, prisoners, late leader Yasser Arafat's death, Gaza quota, the peace negotiations with Israel, and so on.

Fatah general congress is held for the first time in 20 years in the Palestinian territories to elect a new leadership for the weak 44-year-old group founded by Arafat. However, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, banned the travel of scores of Gaza congress members to join.

On Friday, central committee member Nabil Shaath announced that there has been an agreement reached within the congress leadership that Gaza banned Fatah congress members can join the election and vote by telephone. However, some Gaza Fatah leaders rejected the proposal.

Fatah movement said in a statement that the security apparatuses of Hamas put several Gaza Fatah congress members under home arrest and prevented them from leaving their houses, adding that on Friday and Saturday, Hamas security forces arrested several leaders for questioning, then released them.

Fatah congress spokesman, Nabil Amr, told reporters earlier on Saturday that the congress decided that President Mahmoud Abbas will be selected by the majority of the congress as the general leader of Fatah, adding "therefore, the congress members will elect 17 central committee members instead of 18."

During the first meeting of the newly elected 18-member central committee, according to Fatah charter, the committee nominates three additional members, so the number of the central committee members becomes 21. The newly elected revolutionary council, which is the group's parliament, will have 120 members.

Most of the current central committee members, except the aged and the sick, are racing in the elections, hoping to be elected again.

Two current central committee members, Farouq al-Kadoumi and Mohamed Jihad, who are abroad, refrained from joining the conference held in Bethlehem since Aug. 4.

Palestinian observers believe that in spite of disputes, differences and stormy discussions, the congress has reunified Fatah movement. They expected that new blood would be pumped into the weak movement, and some of the old members will give up their posts to young Fatah leaders.

Khalil Shiqaqi, director of the Center for Political Surveys told Xinhua that "Fatah movement is seeking reforms, but its members left this mission to the new leadership," adding that "the fate of Fatah will depend on those who will be elected."

He expected a large change in the newly elected Fatah central committee. Other Fatah leaders said that after the sixth congress, Fatah will have a new leadership that will include young leaders, in addition to having a new political platform that will unify the language and the manner of the group in the future.

Ahmed Qurei, Abu Alla, told reporters that Fatah congress intends to hold the elections for both Gaza Strip and the West Bank at the same time, adding that some Gaza congress members are running in the elections for the central committee and the revolutionary council.

"The electoral process will take place under the inspection of judges, lawmen, and may also include leaders of other Palestinian political factions," said Qurei. "This issue is still under discussion."

Asked about the amendment to Fatah platform, Qurei said that "this issue will be discussed during Saturday's sessions," adding that "some amendments would be added if necessary."

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