Mahmoud Abbas Casts Vote in Fatah Central Committee Elections in Ramallah

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cast his vote on Saturday morning in elections for Fatah’s Central Committee and Revolutionary Council at the Ahmad Shuqairi Hall in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

WAFA said voting began at 10:00 a.m. and was scheduled to continue until 4:00 p.m., followed immediately by vote counting and the announcement of results.

Al Jazeera

Abbas framed the congress as part of a broader political timetable, saying, “This year is the year of democracy.”

Al Jazeera reported that nearly 2,580 members are participating across four locations—Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut—and that the Eighth General Conference of Fatah was originally due in 2021 but delayed for five years.

In parallel to the internal Fatah vote, Le Temps described Abbas as a “phantom leader” and raised the question of whether he would break security cooperation with Israel that keeps him in place at the Mouqataa in Ramallah.

Le Temps quoted Dimitri Diliani, Abbas’s opponent within Fatah, saying, “Even at the worst clashes between Israel and the Palestinians, security cooperation between the PA and Israel has never stopped.”

Al Jazeera

The Times of Israel reported that Abbas expelled Nasser al-Kidwa from Fatah after the critic said he would establish an opposition electoral list to challenge Fatah’s hold on power in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for May 22.

The Times of Israel also quoted Dahlan condemning the decision, saying, “Throughout its long history, Fatah has not known this degree of tyranny, exclusivity and drift from its diversity and its traditional role as a refuge for all ideas and opinions.”

WAFA said the Eighth General Conference of Fatah is scheduled to conclude on Saturday with the announcement of final election results after two days of sessions held in Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut.

Abbas told WAFA that the conference is followed by preparations for elections of the National Council in November, as well as general and presidential elections starting with drafting the constitution, the political parties law, and the general elections law.

Al Jazeera reported that the congress is taking place “amid Israel’s genocidal war” and said the question of who will succeed Abbas looms large over the conference.

Al Jazeera added that analysts see the congress as a move to weaken democratic mechanisms and install a circle of loyalists in key positions to manage the transition, while it also reported that Abbas was unanimously re-elected as leader of the Fatah movement late on Thursday.