"The delay compelled Wael Lafi, the head of the elections committee in the General Conference, who is also the legal advisor of the Palestinian President, to defend the process and delay. Even before convening, questions about membership, funding, and the general political direction of the group which dominates the Palestinian Authority overshadowed preparations for the General Conference."
"Sixty candidates competed for 18 seats in the Central Committee, Fatah's highest leadership body. Mahmoud Abbas, the 91-year-old Palestinian President, was unanimously voted as chair ahead of the vote, foreshadowing the results of the elections and Abbas's tightening grip on power."
"Dr Nasser al-Qudwa, who was the only member of the Central Committee to boycott the General Conference, told Al Jazeera, Mahmoud Abbas engineered this meeting to produce the outcome he wants and he succeeded. Many Fatah members agree with that assessment."
"Another signal of Abbas's grip on the Congress was the nomination and victory of his son, Yasser, to the Central Committee. That was despite the fact that Yasser Abbas has never held a leader"
Fatah concluded its eighth General Conference with leadership elections whose results were announced only after a delay. Questions about membership, funding, and political direction preceded the meeting, and the elections committee head defended the process after the postponement. Sixty candidates competed for 18 Central Committee seats, and Mahmoud Abbas was unanimously voted chair, signaling his tightening control. Dr Nasser al-Qudwa, who boycotted the conference, said Abbas engineered the meeting to produce the desired outcome. The Central Committee saw replacement of half the old guard, including nearly all Gaza representatives, while Abbas allies such as Ahmed Hilles and intelligence chief Majed Faraj won seats. Yasser Abbas also won a seat despite limited leadership experience, intensifying nepotism concerns.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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