Palestinian President Abbas casts his vote in Fatah’s general election | Issues About the Palestinian Authority

The election of Fatah’s internal leadership comes amid questions about who will replace the 90-year-old leader.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas voted in the Fatah leadership elections held at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

The leaders were elected to the Central Committee and Revolutionary Council of the group at the Ahmad Shuqairi hall on Saturday.

After the vote, President Abbas insisted on ensuring a successful democracy which he said would demonstrate the group’s unity and commitment to reforming its governing institutions, Wafa reported.

The Congress is Fatah’s largest decision-making body. The ongoing election is taking place at a critical time in Palestinian history amid Israel’s genocidal war.

The eighth meeting was supposed to take place in 2021 but has been delayed for five years. The previous meeting, the seventh meeting, was held in 2016.

About 2,580 members are participating in four locations – Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut – to combat the sectarian divide.

“This year is the year of democracy. We held an important meeting for Fatah youth, followed by local elections last April,” Abbas said.

“Today is the Eighth Meeting of Fatah, and we are preparing for the National Council elections in November, as well as general and presidential elections, starting with the drafting of constitutions, the constitution of political parties, and the electoral law,” said the 90-year-old leader.

The results of the Eighth Fatah Conference are scheduled to be announced on Saturday evening local time.

The question of who will replace Abbas in the end going well at the conference. Analysts see the conference as a way to weaken the democratic process and establish a group of loyalists in key positions to drive the revolution.