Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (C) accompanied by his two sons, to his left Yasser and to his right Tarek. (May 28, 2018)
Palestinian president's son elected to top Fatah leadership body
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The son of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas won a seat on Fatah's top decision-making body on Sunday, as initial results emerged from the Palestinian movement's first congress in a decade.
The congress came as Fatah faces existential challenges in the wake of the Gaza war.
Yasser Abbas, 64, a businessman who spends most of his time in Canada, secured a place on the central committee after being appointed around five years ago as his father's "special representative" — a role that marked his emergence on the political scene.
Several existing members retained their seats
Marwan Barghouti, a popular Palestinian leader held in ‘Israeli’ prison since 2002, topped the preliminary results, retaining his seat on the committee with the highest number of votes, according to the figures.
Jibril Rajoub was reelected as the secretary-general of the committee, keeping the seat he has held since 2017, while Palestinian vice president Hussein Al-Sheikh was also reelected.
Among the newcomers was Zakaria Zubeidi, 50, a former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- Fatah's armed wing in the Jenin refugee camp -- who was freed from ‘Israeli’ prison last year under a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The three-day congress, held simultaneously across Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo and Beirut, drew 2,507 voters -- a turnout of 94.64 percent, organisers said.
Fifty-nine candidates competed for 18 seats on the central committee, while 450 vied for 80 seats on the revolutionary council, the party's parliament.
Counting for the revolutionary council was still under way and final results were expected on Monday.
Abbas retains control
The congress opened Thursday, with Abbas being reelected as head of the movement.
In his opening address, he vowed to pursue reforms and hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections.
Fatah has historically been the dominant force within the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the sole representative of the Palestinian people in international forums.
It groups most Palestinian factions but excludes movements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Fatah's central committee is expected to play a decisive role in the post-Abbas era, with key figures already jostling to succeed the 90-year-old veteran leader, with Rajoub and Sheikh among the frontrunners.
