Mahmoud Abbas Casts Vote in Fatah Elections for Central Committee and Revolutionary Council

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cast his vote on Saturday in the Fatah movement’s elections that determine the composition of the “Central Committee and Revolutionary Council.”

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has cast his ballot in internal Fatah leadership elections held at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah”

Al Jazeera

The vote was held at the Ahmad Shuqairi Hall in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, with Abbas emphasizing the importance of ensuring the success of the democratic process, as Palestinian Authority official media claimed.

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post reported that a total of 59 candidates competed for 18 seats on the Central Committee, while 456 members competed for 80 seats on the Revolutionary Council.

Al Jazeera said nearly 2,580 members participated across four locations—Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut—after the congress was delayed for five years from 2021 and the previous meeting took place in 2016.

Al Jazeera also quoted Abbas saying, “This year is the year of democracy.”

Unofficial early results cited by The New Arab said Marwan Barghouti topped preliminary elections for the Central Committee of Fatah by a wide margin, reinforcing his popularity amid succession questions around Abbas.

The New Arab reported that Barghouti, imprisoned by Israel since the Second Intifada, secured the highest number of votes in the preliminary count, while Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian General Intelligence, came second ahead of Jibril Rajoub.

Al-Nahar

JNS.org reported that preliminary results seen by AFP said jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti received the highest number of votes in the faction’s first internal election since 2016, with the election held over three days in Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, Cairo and Beirut.

JNS.org also said the Fatah elections drew 2,507 voters and produced a turnout of 94.64%, with 59 candidates competing for 18 seats on the Central Committee.

The New Arab added that Yasser Abbas, the son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, secured a seat on the Central Committee, further cementing his standing within the movement amid longstanding speculation over succession politics inside Fatah.

Al Jazeera said the question of who will eventually succeed Abbas looms large over the conference, with analysts seeing the congress as a move to weaken democratic mechanisms and install a circle of loyalists in key positions.

“Yasser Abbas, the eldest son of the Palestinian Authority president, won a seat on the Central Committee, the top leadership body of the Fatah movement, in elections held Saturday at the conclusion of the movement's general congress, which took place in Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut”

An-Nahar

Al Jazeera reported that Abbas pressed to ensure the success of the democratic process and said it would reflect the unity of the movement and its commitment to renewing its leadership institutions.

The Jerusalem Post described the PA as divided from Gaza, where the US-backed technocratic committee faces hurdles because it has no armed police and no way to confront Hamas, and it said the 2 million people are kept under Hamas rule.

WAFA said the final statement and official preliminary results of the elections for members of the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council would be announced tomorrow, Monday, May 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. in the Ahmad Shuqairi Hall at the presidential headquarters.

WAFA also stated that the conference elects 80 members to the Revolutionary Council and 18 members to the Central Committee, and that the conference has the authority to amend these numbers up or down if a decision is made accordingly.